Chronicle of Seasons
by Scintazzle
Summary: He stared at me for a few seconds, and choked out a few surprising words in a raspy voice. "You're Asian."  I frowned. Not really the type of thing people say when they first meet someone, or when they're about to die.
1. Chapter 1

**First story ever. Hope you enjoy!**

**Later added: re-edited this a tad. I felt it was poor.  
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**Disclaimer: as much as I would love to say I own Percy Jackson...I don't.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>: In which a mythological monster terrorizes my town.

So, you know how you're reading this on a lovely fluorescent screen right now that is probably detrimental to your eyesight? Well, here I am, kind enough to offer you a way out of burning up your eyeballs.

Get up, stretch your legs, and move on out. No, really, I'm not joking. You think I'm just joshin' you, don't you? Okay, laugh while you can.

I just gave you a few seconds, those chuckles should be gone by now. So let's cut to the chase. My serious face is on. Just leave this alone and walk away, before you discover that _hey, I'm not normal_ and suddenly meet up with some really angry Greek creatures that want to rip your head off. In case you didn't notice, my definition of not normal is not "wow, I have an extra toe" or "I'm really weird." It's quite a bit more dangerous than that...more along the lines of "I can shoot fire our of my fingertips and weave baskets of sunshine from my hair." Get it now? So goodbye, nice meeting you, hope you don't find out that the past 15 years of your life have been a lie.

Toodles. Have fun saving your eyeballs.

Well, since you're still here to read this, you either have a meeting with Hades (which by the way, is NOT an enjoyable thing) or are extremely curious as to why I would be telling you this.

It's a funny story. Really.

It had started out as a normal day, which just happened to be a little worse than usual.

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><p>"…And that is why x equals the square root of 2," I finished, taking a well deserved seat in the air conditioned class room. It was muggy outside during the spring, and my lips were dry from talking so long.<p>

"Good job May," grumbled Ms. Hawkings.

Ah, Ms. Hawkings. The lady that hated children, hated her job, hated life, puppies, and all things good an beautiful. From the way she commented on my explanation on "problem number 57", I could tell she wasn't pleased. In her book, "good job" was the equivalent of "why do I have to teach this class."

So, Ms. Hawkings started off my day on a _wonderful_ note of joy. My horrendous math teacher was uglier than most, and her liver spots certainly were not helping. Like a normal person, when I first saw her it was the first day of school. And I had felt bad for her because I noticed that she sat in a wheelchair. How inconvenient…and she looked really old. Like old enough to be my ancestor. So I was ready to be polite to the liver-spotted woman, I was going to be kind to my elders…but then she opened her mouth, screeched at me to stop looking and sit down, and all thoughts of sympathy flew out the window.

I scowled. She obviously didn't like me.

Most of the teachers here didn't. At Meadow Creeks Prep, you were either rich or you were out. Corrupt, yes. Illegal? Unfortunately, no. And seeing as I was on the bottom of the social ladder, things were not looking so good.

I unconsciously moved my feet and drummed my fingertips on the table as she kept droning about why blah equals blah and so on and so forth. I felt like sleeping. The day had already been off to a bad start.

How bad? Pretty traumatizing.

Number one. My body build isn't exactly scrawny per say, but not exactly normal either. No matter: it doesn't change the fact that I get pushed around like a shopping cart. So during hallway rush hour, I got slammed into a locker.

Said locker was my own. The lunch in it went everywhere when I opened it, over everything and everybody in the nearby vicinity. I swear a pasta noodle hit me in the eye. And then the chips bag exploded and the drink bottle cracked and pretty much everything was a total mess. On top of Mr. Precalculus, Madame English III honors, and Duchess Cosmogirl. I was not pleased.

And I was hungry.

Upsetting situation number two. Cutest guy in Meadow Creeks Prep, Brian, got snatched up by Cindy the perfect cheerleader, who already has everything anyways, and they are shoe in to be the hottest couple for weeks. She gets _everything_. Like down to the last butter nickel squash in the yard. Everyone likes her and everyone wants to be her, even though she's literally the meanest girl I have ever met. And how does that work out exactly?

And to top it all off, number three. As soon as the bell rang, I headed downstairs for lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't notice someone hiding in the corner of the stairs, crashed into him, and stumbled down the last 3 steps, stubbing my toe in the process.

Pain was everywhere. And it was sure to leave a nasty bruise on my shin.

Trip-you-boy looked over at me in horror. "I am sooooo sorry," he said in a jittery voice, teeth chattering so much it looked as if he was in subzero temperatures, "I-I didn't mean it!" The last word almost came out as a bleat.

Shrugging it off, I muttered that it was ok, but my toe _really_ hurt.

He looked at me, eyes wide with something indescribable. But I couldn't dwell on it long. More pressing matters, you know? Like how I was going to clean out my locker after school.

The day couldn't possibly get worse.

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><p>That was the point in time where a jinx officially becomes reality. The first 15 years of my young, ambitious life were relatively normal.<p>

I lived with my dad in a nice little apartment above our store, where we sold flowers. Mom had gone on a business trip and hadn't shown up in years, or so says Dad. Every time he thinks of her, he gets this look in his eyes, like he can see her in the world around us. But when I ask him, he brushes if off, and goes back to saving the rainforests in our own backyard.

He's a bit of an eco nut, but a good eco nut.

Any piece of litter he found on the ground, regardless of when or where, he would pick it up. A few years ago, we took a trip to South America, and he almost dove into a swamp to grab a water bottle before I convinced him it wasn't safe. You think these things would be common sense, but with Dad, well…sometimes you can't tell. So afterwards, we made a lure to grab the bottle, and he looked prouder than ever when he finally fished it out. "Saving Mother Earth little by little," he'd call it.

Dad's real name is Eric Wang. He'd gone to school, smart kid, majoring in Biology and Chemistry. Aiming, as all eco nuts do, to create a world where wildife and humans could thrive together. He still spews random chemistry facts sometimes, and I still clearly remember the traumas of my childhood: instead of the typical fairy tale stories, I grew up listening about Biological happenings and molecules and chemistry and all the stuff normal kids would hate in life.

And like a normal kid, it was like torture.

In the end though, after all that education, Dad ended up meeting mom and gave up that idea, instead opening up a flower shop so he could give people little pieces of the Earth's treasures.

"Why would you do that?" I had asked. He merely shrugged and gave a soft smile. "She changed my view on the world, May." And that was the end of the discussion.

I watch him work with the flowers sometimes when I'm free, and it almost seems like they listen to them. "Straighten up," he'll say, and they'll bend to his will.

I've never tried it. Talking to plants.

Why?

Because it's weird.

I help out at the shop, but normally Dad takes care of it all. Even when I just want to water the flowers (really, it's not that much work, just hand me a watering can and we're good to go!) he ushers me back inside, claiming that I should focus on schoolwork.

And no, it's not just because I'm Asian. There's a limit to how much studying an Asian parent can force onto their child, and turns out, Dad was the kind of guy who just wasn't good at making excuses. So I never figured out why he _just didn't want me to touch them. _

He won't let me keep plants of my own in the house. Every detail is left up to him.

Let's just say I'm a bit of a rebel.

Over the past few years, I've harbored a little sprig of bamboo in an alcove near my window. It's stayed hidden, low maintenance, just a bit of water and such and its just fine. Apparently when you take care of plants, you're supposed to do a lot more…but like I said, this one's special. Just a bit of water.

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><p>The fun started when I got home. Notice here how I'm slyly using a bit of sarcasm to make my point: by fun, I mean "not fun." Locker clean-out duty was a complete <em>disaster.<em> Cindy had stopped by with her horde of cheerleader friends, scattered confetti on me like it was my birthday (which it was not) and only added to the mess. Then they cackled and ran away, doing flips and cartwheels down the hall. Needless to say, I was very irritable.

I carelessly dropped my bag on the floor while grabbing some gardening gloves in the process. It was mid April, and plants were in full bloom. We were getting orders everywhere, the shop had been busy for weeks, and I was helping out more than ever. Just at the cash register though…I wasn't trusted with the plants themselves. I hurried downstairs to take orders and place payments. My mind was whirring with numbers and calculation, which plants were what and if they were delivered in bouquets or singles…

Math hurt.

I quickly helped an old lady with some really nasty hangnails find some roses for her 60th anniversary.

"Thank you," she whispered in a raspy voice, clutching the flowers. Then she gave me a really creepy grin, full of yellow teeth and cracked lips.

It wasn't pretty.

"Uh, you're welcome," I muttered back, giving a half smile. "Have a nice day."

"Oh, I will dearie…and trust me. You will too." She chuckled a little, as if she knew something secret, and slowly limped away.

Shrugging, I went to attend to the others. Sure, she was a little weird, but we got weird people everyday.

Suddenly, I felt the air in the shop change. Like, a bad change…when someone you really hate walks into the room. I turned to face the entrance.

Go figure. Miss Perfect Cindy was here.

I felt a cold chill run up my spine as she sauntered up to the register. I still hadn't forgotten about the confetti incident, and was not eager to see her at the only refuge I had away from her. I forced a cheery smile on my face. "Hi Cindy! Hope you're doing well. What can I help you with?"

Then came the answer I was not expecting. She flashed a brilliant manicured finger in my face and her eyes clouded over in red mist. "You can let me kill you."

I thought she was joking at first, so I let out a nervous laugh. "Funny…go on Comedy Central or something. Great actress really—you almost fooled me for a second there!"

Then she snarled, and aimed a good hard punch at me.

Alright…so she wasn't kidding. And her fist had just smashed a hole into the wall next to my head.

So, like any sane person would do, I backed up slowly, hands in a defensive position.

Cindy wanted to kill me. Great.

Not like I wasn't hunted by cheerleader cronies on a daily basis, but this was pushing it.

The other shoppers looked at her oddly, but didn't say a word. They continued to browse the aisles.

I walked around the corner of the countertop, careful to keep eye contact with her. I lowered my tone. They say it's good for appeasing angered animals. Cindy was close enough, so I figured it would work.

"Okay now Cindy," I coaxed as nicely as possible. "Just back away, nice and easy…May hasn't done anything to hurt you, and you don't want to cause a scene…let's go upstairs and have some coffee and talk about this."

Cindy snarled and lunged at me, her body flickering into distorted shapes.

She obviously didn't enjoy the idea of a peaceful reconciliation.

I dodged the lunge, and noticed her skin turn a pale white, and her white teeth elongate into fangs. Her legs shimmered from her normal ones to a metallic leg and…

I really wanted to call it a donkey leg, with its hoof and all, but I wasn't too sure.

"What's with your legs?" I asked, but it was the wrong question.

She screeched, "I hate it when people ask me that!"

"Ok, then here's a better question," I snapped, evading her manicured claws and sliding onto the tiled shop floor, "What in the world are you?"

"I am _empousa_, servant of Hecate," she hissed in reply, skirting around a corner, destroying a sign that proudly boasted "Tulip Bouquets for Only $7.00!"

"Let me kill you!" I heard her yell.

Nearby, some one screamed. "That plant's attacking! Run for your lives!"

I quickly grabbed the nearest pot I could find, and chucked the petunias at her head. It burst into a cloud of clay and dirt. Cindy howled and clutched her face. "You'll pay for that, demigod!"

"That's not my name," I retorted, and continued to pelt her with flowers. Finally, it seemed like she had taken enough of a beating, and with her fangs bared, she leapt to attack.

I barely scraped by, skidding across the floor and skinning my knees—and suddenly, more people started taking notice, screaming words like "mutated flower" at the destroyed pots and Cindy. They quickly ran and evacuated the shop, leaving me with a monster cheerleader and some flowers.

Great. Exactly what I needed.

"May, May, May," said Cindy in a sickening voice. She got nearer and nearer, her lips curling into a knowing smile. "Such a terrible way to die, right? Not knowing what you are or anything, so confused and lost. Poor, poor May…Ah well, dinner calls!"

Her nails grew alarmingly fast, and turned as sharp as knives. She licked her lips. "Now how do they say it in France? Ah yes. Bon apetit, dear!" And with that, Cindy opened her mouth and lashed out with her claws, ready to make me into shish kabob.

I closed my eyes. Worst way to die.

Ever.

"Stop right this instant," said Dad's voice, unnaturally calm in the situation. Cindy turned to face him, distracted for a moment, and got showered by a fire extinguisher at full force.

"Dad?" I asked, surprised at his sudden appearance. Then I realized he had his serious face on, which only appeared during extreme emergencies. "Hurry May," he said, grabbing my arm and making way to the car. "The extinguisher will only hold her for a moment."

I decided to get into the car and ask questions later. But just as I buckled my seatbelt, Cindy came back, more enraged than ever. "You'll never get away May!" Then a horrible, knowledgeable look came over her eyes, and she burst out the store and into the garage, taking a hold of Dad who was just about to open the driver's car door. She dangled him in front of me by the front of his collar, face triumphant. He gulped, sending me a look.

Run.

"Don't want anything happening to old Popsie here, do we?" crooned Cindy, holding her claws up to Dad's throat.

And I was _done with her_.

That was it. The final straw. She was not going to make me more miserable than I was already. The day had already been pretty awful, and that was the last thing I was going to take from her.

I felt my nerves tingling, and the world immediately became sharper, clearer, _more distinct_ as if I had been underwater the whole time.

"Let go of my dad."

Without warning, the plants from the shop grew to enormous proportions, entangling Cindy with their roots, catching her by surprising and wrenching her away from Dad. The vines and tendrils of the virginia creeper latched onto her and started squeezing, while the cacti bumped her, leaving needles on her donkey leg. The buttercups, though tiny, managed to climb up and tangle in her fingers. The plants and flowers kept squeezing and squeezing, tighter and tighter until Cindy let out a blood-curdling scream and disappeared into sandy dust.

It felt awesome for a moment. You know, having some plants aid you in defeating a monster and all. Then all my energy was spent, and I realized how tired I really was.

Dad quickly climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition. "Thanks for saving my life," he said, pulling out of the driveway, "But we'll talk later. For now, just sit tight."

I nodded, looking at my own hands, too exhausted to say anything. Cindy had called herself something unusual, an _empousa_. And she had called me something more unusual.

A demigod.

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><p><strong>How was it? R&amp;R :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

.Albiet this is a bit short, but I will get another chapter up super quick! Promise :)

Disclaimer: As much as I would love to say I own this series, all of it belongs to Riordan.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>: In which my math teacher turns into a horse.

Meadow Creeks Prep was the last place I expected Dad to choose as refuge from a monster. When we pulled into the parking lot, I couldn't help but ask, "Really Dad? Here? Are you sure?"

He only nodded and motioned for me to follow him. As we walked, Dad started explaining something. "May," he started, getting a little choked up for some strange reason, "You're going to have to leave for a while."

Well that much was obvious. A monster had invaded our flower shop, scaring away the customers. And nearly killing me, but that was beside the point.

"So where are we going?" I asked as we climbed up the steps to the school.

Dad pushed open the door. "Well, May, that's the thing. It's not _we_. Where you're headed, I can't go with you." He gave me a sad look as we stood outside Ms. Hawkings's classroom.

"Wait, why?"

"Honey, it's not like I want to do this, but I've been selfish, keeping you with me for too long. This place is safest for you now, now that they've realized…" Dad looked at the floor, and gave me a warm hug. "It's not right for me to tell you. Listen, we'll go out to eat tonight, okay? Then we'll pack your bags and get you all set up for your trip."

I held back some tears. "How long am I going to be gone for?" I whispered, clinging onto him. He had that kind of warmth, like sunshine on a spring day, which just made the world so much more homely and bright.

"Until they say it's alright," he answered, and then the door to Ms. Hawkings's room opened, and there my math teacher stood, in all her liver spotted glory.

"Well hello there!" she said brightly, "Come on in! Aren't you just a lively lot? WHOOHOOOO!"

This was not Ms. Hawkings. She did not say anything in a chipper voice, nor say hello to anyone. Or cheer. Loudly.

I was wary, and almost didn't go into the classroom. School had ended a few hours ago, and the fact that she was still there was enough to persuade me that she wasn't ordinary.

Ms. Hawkings rolled her eyes. "Ok, I know I haven't been the nicest to you, but it wasn't intentional, I _promise_."

"Just go in May," soothed Dad, gently nudging me in.

Ms. Hawkings closed the door behind us, and I suddenly felt locked in. I wanted to make a run for it, but Dad gave me a reassuring smile.

"Hey, so you guys want some root beer or something?" asked Ms. Hawkings, reaching into a minifridge hidden in her desk.

Now that was a surprise. But months' worth of verbal insults wouldn't die out as a warning, so I coldly refused. Dad on the other hand, accepted the drink with a cheerful nod.

She rolled her wheelchair over to us, and then stretched her arms with a yawn. "Well, let's get down to business then. I would headbutt you in greeting, but I'm too old, and I think you've had enough odd happenings for today."

Then she rose from her seat as if she had been walking for ages. The wheelchair suddenly seemed enchanted, like it was never there in the first place. Ms. Hawkings grew taller and taller, the blanket that was always on her lap fell away in the process. She didn't have two legs; she had four. And they were not normal legs. They were horse legs.

So she had refrained from headbutting me. Awesome. But I may have preferred _that_ shock than from what I had just seen.

"Centaur," I breathed, hardly believing one was right in front of me. I wasn't too sharp on mythology and all, but Ms. Hawkings was most definitely half-horse.

"Yeppers, correctomundo girly-Q," she laughed. "Aw, haven't stretched my flanks in ever! Here, have a cough drop." She tossed me a cherry flavored one, and I missed catching it in my hands, awkwardly letting it land in my lap instead.

Curse bad hand eye coordination.

"Hey, Lars, why don't you come out now?" Ms. Hawkings called, whistling.

Trip-you-boy appeared like lightning. "What can I do for you?" He drawled, so unlike his previous demeanor on the steps. He was not scared, nor crying in a corner. He noticed Ms. Hawkings form, and chuckled. "Man, we going all out? Suppose I should too then."

With that, he pulled off his legs, revealing hairy limbs with hooves.

I was done being stunned. After seeing Cindy and Ms. Hawkings's leg surprises, this one just seemed commonplace.

That didn't stop my draw from droppoing.

"So in case you haven't noticed, I'm a satyr. Not a goat," he explained, doing some stretches. "Yeah, Phan and I were sent to keep and eye on you, May."

"You know my name?"

Lars rolled his eyes. "Um, duh. Anyways, we're sending you off to camp for a while, honing the powers and all that jazz."

"And why do I need to go to camp again?"

Dad answered, gently squeezing my shoulder. "Your mother thought it would be the best place to send you, but…I didn't listen. Its time for you to…ah, finally figure out yourself."

Nothing was making sense. I was in a classroom with a centaur and a satyr after being chased out of my house by a cheerleader gone bad. And now they wanted me to go to a camp for some strange reason, which I really had no interest in. Not to mention, my dad was treating this as if it happened everyday, like having a root beer while talking to a horse lady was perfectly normal.

I closed my eyes. Maybe this was just a dream.

Ms. Hawkings chuckled. "Chiron will tell you in due time. Oh, lemme tell you, you were most definitely a hard one to find. Your father hid you surprisingly well, and for such a long time too. Haven't even been claimed yet."

From what I was hearing, I was more than just a little confused. There was so much terminology that needed explaining. I pinched myself, and opened my eyes.

Nope, still here. Not a dream.

Dang.

Dad gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, Ms. Hawkings."

"Oh, please, no need for that pseudonym anymore!" laughed Ms. Hawkings. "The name's Auntie Phan." She turned to face me, a gentle smile gracing her normally scowling face. I decided I liked her better this way. "Anyways, May, you were a tough one. When Lars told me he thought you were a demigod, I was pretty suspicious. Had to make sure, right? So," she said, drawing out the word to sound like sooooooo, "I had to disguise myself. Necessary precautions and all that. And being my own self is just incredibly boring, so posing incognito was the best choice. Couldn't have you seeing through the Mist that quick or anything."

Ms. Hawkings shot me a wink. "Observing you wasn't too easy either. Sure, Lars was there to watch you when you weren't in my class, but even then…I mean, hardly any dyslexia, no real signs of ADHD…those are normal signs for demigods. But you were _different_."

I remembered certain times, where I moved unconsciously in the classroom, or got slightly distracted by certain things. I never thought too much of it. And dyslexia never even crossed my mind. Reading had been easy enough.

It was only when I realized all the work I had studied, that deciphering those mashed up words had become second nature. But still, I had gone through my life without even thinking about it…it just seemed false. Those traits weren't a part of me. I vehemently denied it, insisting I had neither ADHD, nor dyslexia, even though my heart was telling me the truth.

I plugged my mental ears and ignored it.

"Your father trained you," explained Ms. Hawkings/Auntie Phan. "He tried to keep you secret, hiding you among the scents of fresh leaves and pure flowers. He disguised your tell-tale signs. Sneaky, I'll admit, but some monsters aren't fooled so easy." There was a twinkle in her eye. "We finally found out who you really were when we noticed monsters following you. We took care of most of them, but some slipped our net."

She must have meant Cindy.

"Well, more explanations later!" cheered Auntie Phan, cutting the story short. "Who wants to party?"

Lars rolled his eyes again. I figured he did it often. "No partying, sorry Phan. Chiron would be so disappointed. Hey, so here's the place. Don't get lost, it's pretty easy to find. Even if it just looks like an empty field and all. Hope to see you there."

He handed me a business card.

It looked pretty authentic.

With only the slightest bit of difficulty, I read what it said.

Yo. Sup.

Lars Greenhorn

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"I'm going to New York?" I whispered.

Dad laughed, giving me a pat on the back. "Yep. Long term vacation style." "So I'm just stopping school now?" I spluttered. But I still had so much to do…I didn't even make it to the Spring Dance yet!

"I know it's just the spring time, but I'd rather you stay there for safety reasons. Don't worry about school, you'll get some education there." He looked at Lars and Auntie Phan for reassurance. "She will, right?"

Auntie Phan scoffed. "I'm sure the Athena and Hephaestus kids would love to teach her…stuff."

"That settles it then," Dad said brightly. "Well, thank you for meeting us, Ms. Haw—I mean, Ms. Phan, and Lars."

"No probs," grinned Lars, putting his legs back on. "See you guys later."

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><p>As we stepped out into the parking lot, Dad looked up into the sky. "Your mom would be really proud of what you did today," he said, smiling at me and pushing his glasses up. "You did so well, May."<p>

I felt tears well up in my eyes. I didn't want to leave him all alone, with only the shop for company. It would be the first time I was going to live without him.

As if he knew what I was going to say, Dad shook his head sadly. "It's for the best. I don't like it either, but I've kept you away from that world for too long."

Then, as if he wanted to change the subject, Dad asked, "So where do you want to eat? My treat. Big trip tomorrow, right?"

I could only swallow the lump in my throat.

Inwardly, I prayed up to the skies, to wherever my mom was, that she would keep Dad safe. He had lived a pretty lonely life, and now he needed help and protection more than ever.

Then, as if someone above had heard the message I sent, there was a rush of warm air like a morning kiss. It was so comforting and reassuring, bringing about the scent of fresh grass and springtime flowers. I breathed it in, letting it wash over me like the summer's rain. And as suddenly as it had come, it left me, leaving me with my dad outside my school in the cooling April air.

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><p>And so this chapter ends...R&amp;R :)<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**So...here's another chapter. Lot's of fighting involved, sorry if the scenes aren't very descriptive :P**

**And the airplane thing is totally my own hunch, don't quote me on it.**

**Disclaimer: Percy doesn't belong to me... :(**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>: In which strawberries save my life.

That night, I took the bare necessities with me. Two weeks worth of laundry, toiletries, a photo of my Dad, and my bamboo sprig. For some reason, I just couldn't leave it to wilt away.

Right as I finished zipping up the final suitcase, Dad walked over and stood in the doorway. "How are you doing, sweet pea?"  
>"Just finishing up," I sighed, straightening my back and leaning against the bedpost. I could smell the lilies downstairs.<p>

He gave me another hug, like he knew I needed it. Somehow, it felt as if it would be the last for a long time. "No worries, right?"

"Right."

If that was true, I was a flying unicorn in disguise.

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><p>The plane ride from Illinois to New York was quite possibly the worst experience ever. Other than the whole Cindy trying to pulverize me thing…that still ranked first.<p>

As I sat in my seat, I desperately tried to ignore the guy next to me, who smelled oddly of fish, and was snoring loudly. Behind me, a boy was squealing for some pie, while his older sister tried to appease him with some Mythomagic cards.

But nothing beat the lady sitting in front of me, who had the most obnoxious voice ever, and was showcasing it with her impressive talent of talking on the phone for 2 hours.

Sighing, I leaned back and tried to enjoy the pack of pretzels the stewardess had given me. But it was hard to anything with that voice ringing in my ears.

Finally, I couldn't handle it any more. Putting on my nice girl face, I tapped the lady on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but my friend is trying to sleep," I said, gesturing to fish-smell man. "Could you please take your conversation elsewhere? Or tone it down a bit? That would be greatly appreciated."

She shot me a glare that could have tranquilized a bull. "Excuse me. Can't you see I'm talking to someone here?" She pointed to her cell phone for further emphasis, then kept her conversation going.

I decided that her behavior could not be tolerated. I debated between calling a stewardess over and getting her to close her phone, or doing it myself.

I settled with the latter option.

"Did you know," I said knowledgeably, gaining her attention although she was still talking, "that your cell phone is currently disturbing signals from the airport to the plane? You're messing up the navigation by using your phone. This means," I paused for dramatic effect, "that we might land in a river, or on top of a house, and this plane will explode into a million pieces and we'll all die. And it will all be because you used your phone."

The lady's face turned sickeningly white.

I smiled sweetly. "Just food for thought."

She stopped talking after that.

When the plane finally touched ground (I was so relieved I could cry, fish-man smelled so bad) I grabbed my luggage and set off to find a taxi. I had only ever seen it done in movies, so I was grateful when a cab driver picked me up. "Where to, miss?" he grunted as I hauled my luggage in.

"Half-Blood Hill would be nice," I replied. He raised his eyebrows. "You sure about that? There's really nothing there, just a patch of strawberries and such."

"Uh, yeah, I'm sure."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

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><p>I only realized something was seriously wrong ten minutes into the cab ride.<p>

Not wrong, like "dude, we just busted the tire five miles back" but more like "dude, a skyscraper is about to fall on us."

The driver didn't seem to notice, but I certainly did. Something was following us. Something big, angry, and unhappy.

I couldn't help but figure it was after me.

I decided to hold off panicking for a while and think of what to do. I had no weapons. There was an innocent guy driving me, and I couldn't get him involved. I could call the police, but they wouldn't be here until after we got chopped into mincemeat.

Great—all the options were void.

I felt the presence growing nearer, and I snuck a quick look back. I instantly regretted it.

The monster looked like a dragon. Full size, hungry, fire breathing dragon. It had sharp spikes dotted on its spine, and its scales gleamed maliciously. It was staring at the taxi like it was a burger on wheels, globs of spit flying out of its mouth and hitting the pavement as well as some unfortunate windshields.

My fingers clutched the edge of the fabric seat. This was really bad. No exaggeration this time. I promised myself that if I survived this, I would never take another piece of Dad's obnoxious science lectures for granted ever again. The taxi driver grunted like he noticed my discomfort. "Hey, you okay? If you're carsick, roll down the window. Happens all the time."

"Uh, it's alright, I'm not carsick." It was a lie. I felt like I was going to barf from fear.

The monster was still following us, its footsteps shaking the ground with every heave and ho. The car rumbled along, bumping once in a while in time with the dragon's steps. "Road's really bumpy for some reason," commented the driver.

I looked out the window in front and could see a faint line of strawberry fields up ahead. There it was! Half-Blood Hill. Just like Lars and the taxi driver had said, it looked relatively empty. It was a perfect place to get away from innocent people so I could fight.

…To my death.

"You can drop me off here," I said urgently. The driver gave me a look. "Now see here miss, I pride myself as a cabbie, and—"

I didn't get to hear the rest of his speech as the dragon decided to take a swipe at the car. We were sent careening off the road as the cars behind us screeched and honked at the monster. How could they not see a dragon right in front of them?

I pulled out some cash, and stuffed it in the driver's hand. "Thanks so much. Drive back safely, okay?" He looked at me, stunned. Then I opened the door and ran for dear life, hoping to distract the dragon.

"I am drakon," it hissed, holding up a claw. "You cannot escape me." Roaring and batting away cars like pieces of tissue paper, it lunged toward me, teeth bared. I dodged it through some sort of miracle, and then kept sprinting toward the strawberry fields that were getting closer by the second.

Just a little bit further, I thought. Just a bit…

The drakon didn't think so though, and unleashed a plume of fire. The heat almost singed my hair, but I ran even harder. I really wished I had participated in gym more.

Suddenly, I felt its shadow tower over me, and the road was instantly covered in darkness. It had caught up in an instant. "Good bye little one," it snarled. "You shall make a delicious snack for me. Be honored!"

Then it let out a strangled gasp, and fell with a thump. I realized that it had been run over by the taxi cab I had been in moments before, surely scratching the yellow paint off the car and denting the hood in several places. The driver was scowling. "No one goes after my customers like that, not even a rabid moose!"

Okay, the monster was the farthest thing from a moose, but I was not about to argue after he had saved my life.

"You okay there missie?" he called, giving me a grin.

I decided to cut to the chase before the monster gained consciousness. "Listen, thanks for your help, but you're in danger here," I said. "Hope you drive safe. I'll be fine."

"Hey, I'm not the type to leave a little girl like you stranded here," he grunted, motioning me to get back in the car. "The hospitals not too far from here, don't worry, free of charge."

I was instantly grateful to the world for creating good people like the driver. I gave him another smile. "No thanks, you better get on your way."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not kidding?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Catch you later."

He sighed reluctantly, turning on the ignition. "If you insist. See you later then girly, better get that moose dispatched."

A commotion was starting with the dragon at the center. Cars were creating a traffic block, but I couldn't afford to waste time. I picked up the pace again, heading toward Half-Blood Hill, my eyes trained on the prize.

I just managed to set foot on the acres of strawberry when the drakon's voice snarled from behind me. "And where do you think you're going?"

It had gotten up faster than expected.

Let me tell you, drakons have the worst breath ever. Like a mix of old laundry, stables, pickle juice, and a hint of eucalyptus leaves. It could make anyone barf.

But now was not the time to upchuck pretzels on the ground.

I inwardly prayed to any deity out there to make the plants do some crazy stuff and attack the dragon, but nothing happened.

I was on my own.

The drakon hissed, its yellow eyes focusing on me.

I was fearful for my life. If I died alone out here, my dad would be devasted. I had to avoid being hit by the razor sharp claws. Or by the millions of teeth. Or by the spikes on its back.

Easier said than done. But as if I could sense it before it happened, I leapt to the side as soon as it attacked. It stabbed the area were I was a moment before.

"Stop running!" it roared, attacking again. This time, I couldn't get up to dodge, and its body hit me full force. I heard my left arm make a sickeningly crunch, and pain was imminent.

My eyes were brimming with tears, from pain or from fear I couldn't tell. My head hurt as if it was being pounded by anvils.

But I had to get up. If I didn't, there was really no hope for me.

To make matters worse, the sky darkened and it began to rain. I was instantly drenched, the cold seeping through my clothes and shaking me from my painful stupor. "And so ends the little heroine," laughed the drakon in a voice older than time itself. Its golden eyes mocked me as its tongue flickered out, then back in. "All alone, with no one to hear her cry."

Despite my injuries, I stood up, fighting my aching head and my left arm which couldn't move anymore.

"I admire your bravery, little one. But this will be your last stand!" With a deafening roar, the monster unleashed a stream of fire, burning hotter than the stoves themselves.

With a quick spurt of energy, I dug my heels into the ground. The world seemed to slow for a moment, and the flames came closer. My knees bent, I sprung away at the last possible moment, avoiding the hit by mere inches.

I landed on the ground, my knees hitting the earth and fingers smushed in red strawberry juice. It was an odd feeling, but the sensation returned. The moment of instant clarity seemed to give me power. The drakon, realizing I was not yet dead, screeched in anger. I reached out my right hand, almost as if I was drawing strength from the very ground. Roots, millions of them, sprouted out from the ground, and began weaving in between the scales, turning the drakon into a mummified plant. It tried to break free, hissing and spouting fire, but the root were stronger.

But they had not yet covered its entire body. So with sudden accuracy, the it lashed out a dangerously spiked tail. I barely managed to dodge, and it tore through my good arm.

I yelped in pain. It felt like fire was shooting up into my shoulders. Nevertheless, the strawberry plants kept attaching on, completely smothering the drakon with roots, leaves, and budding fruit. Finally, it stopped squirming, and there was a poof.

Nothing was left but some dust that was quickly born away by the wind.

The scene it had left behind was chaotic. The strawberry plants had been destroyed by the fire it had unleashed, leaving spots of charred leaves and berries. Drivers were panicking, yelling and honking furiously as if it would solve the problem. Cars were jammed on the roadside, and the faint sound of police sirens was approaching.

Groaning, I pulled myself off the ground, dragging myself uphill. My body weighed as much as lead, and I desperately tried to ignore the burning sensation in my arm. The police car sirens grew louder, only adding to my pain.

The hill was really long. The strawberries smelled so nice, but they weren't aiding me anymore. I was completely spent, and my head was pounding. The rain continued to beat down in sheets. My body, cold, wet, and injured, trudged to the light at the top of the hill.

I didn't know how much longer I was going to last.

Just then, I saw a gleaming shroud of sheepskin hanging from a tree before I collapsed, breathing in the scent of dirt.

The ground felt so nice.

I closed my eyes, relishing the darkness, and feeling myself drifting off to sleep. I heard the soft motion of footsteps on land, and felt them stop before me.

"Well, well," drawled a pompous voice from above. "What do we have here? Did you really have to destroy my strawberry plants?"

It was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter will involve a mystery...<strong>

**R&R, constructive criticism is appreciated. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's been a bit longer than expected...sorry about that. And this chapter's a bit on the short side, but the second one will be SUPER long and exciting, I promise. :)**

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>: In which a fortuneteller nearly runs me over with her bike.

I slept so soundly, when I woke up, I thought I was in my own bed, back at home for a moment. Then I saw nearly a dozen blue eyes on a tan body staring at me.

I screamed.

The guy recoiled at the sound and was slightly surprised. I gasped for breath and looked around. "Where—where—" was all I could make out. The air was fresh and clean, hinted with the scent of strawberries. A valley stretched into the horizon, full of luscious greens. The sun was shining brightly, as if the storm last night had never come.

I had no idea where I was.

"Dude. Chillax." Came a voice from beside me. I turned and saw Lars the satyr looking at me and grinning, lounging in a wicker chair. "Hey May. What's up?"

"Hi," I managed to breathe, pushing a blanket off me. "Mind telling me where I am and why there's a California surfer with more than two eyes here?"

"Ah, him. That's Argus. He's cool, don't worry. Security guard, keeps us all in check. And you're at Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood," I repeated. The name sounded familiar.

Lars chuckled. "Yeah, congrats. You made it. Half dead, broken arm, poisoned, and a pretty bad concussion, but you made it."

The events of last night came rushing back to me. The drakon, the weird incidence with the strawberry plants, and the glowing sheepskin. I noted with a groan that all my belongings were still in the cab, which was probably miles away. I was never going to get my stuff back.

My arms still ached, and my head was throbbing. I winced in pain. Lars seemed to notice my discomfort and passed me a juice box. "Drink it. It'll help."

I gratefully took a sip from the cold pouch, expecting it to taste like apple juice. It ended up being the farthest thing from it.

A salty taste graced my tongue, which surprised me. The "juice" tasted just like my dad's homemade chicken soup, the kind he made whenever I got sick. I didn't believe soup could actually make you better, but he insisted on making it for me anyways. "A recipe from grandma," he would say, grinning as he added salt. "Don't tell her."

It was warm, soothing, and completely reminiscent of him. Before I knew it, the entire pouch was gone. I felt some sort of energy rise through my body, releasing my aching limbs and taking away my throbbing headache.

I handed the empty pouch back to Lars, who casually took a bite out of the plastic. "Well, that about settles, it," he said, munching on the last bit. "Hey Argus. Mind getting Chiron over here? And get the video tape, that'd be nice too."

The guy with a lot of eyes nodded and left.

I looked at my hands, thinking hard. "I'm going to take a walk." I got up, ignoring the blood that rushed to my head, and started down the porch steps. Lars stood, surprised. "Hey, I wouldn't do that if I were you. You're still not fully healed yet."

I gave him an offhanded wave. "I'll be fine."

I had no idea why I wanted to leave, but something was pulling me, tugging me to the outskirts of the camp. I passed by a lot of kids with various ages playing games I never thought existed. They were riding horses with wings, being pulled in chariots like the ones I saw in my history books. Some were rowing canoes, shooting at targets, while others were furiously working on things I couldn't understand. A group of scary looking kids were polishing weapons and giving me the evil eye. I got the feeling that they probably did that to everyone.

. Most of the campers were wearing bright orange T-shirts with the words "Camp Half-Blood" written on them. As I walked, some looked at me oddly, but didn't say anything.

I realized I must have looked pretty bad. Torn up sneakers, ripped shirt, a bandaged arm…like I had just survived a surprise attack.

That wasn't entirely false though.

I sighed and kept walking. My wounds weren't so bad anymore. Somehow, I my left arm managed to heal itself over night, and it wasn't broken. My right arm had a faint gash on it, but other than that it was fine. All the scrapes on my legs from falling numerous of times disappeared.

Lost in my thoughts and observations, I didn't notice the bike coming straight toward me. It was almost too late when I saw the girl riding it with her eyes wide open in horror, screaming "Holy Hera, watch out!"

I was going too get run over by a crazy girl and a bicycle. Another injury to add to the list was not what I needed. By sheer luck, I twisted my body in an awkward fashion and avoided her.

She managed to skid to a stop after a few feet, propping the bike up on its stand and walking over, an apologetic look on her face. The girl had red, frizzy hair, and shorts with marker stains all over. She looked like she would be artistic, with her arm full of weaved and beaded bracelets. I decided she was certainly an individual.

She gave me a once over, then stuck out a hand. "I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare," she stated, smiling. "You okay? Sorry I almost ran you over with my bike. Potholes in the road, you know?" She made squinty eyes, putting a finger to her lips. "Don't tell Chiron I was riding. Please?"

I still didn't know who Chiron was, but I nodded anyway and shook her hand. "I'm May Wang. Sorry for not noticing your bike…I wasn't really paying attention."

Rachel scoffed, and brushed off her shorts. "Oh I do it all the time." Then she looked at me even more suspiciously. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"

"Yeah."

"Cool beans."

It looked as if she was going to say something else, then her eyes got cloudy, like she was seeing something that I couldn't. She quickly snapped out of it, and seemed to think hard for a moment, debating something internally. She ended up making a choice, whatever it was, and grabbed my hand. "I have something to tell you." She started dragging me down the road, back the way I had come.

"Um, okay?" She didn't really give me a choice as she kept pulling me along. I wasn't too keen on following her, but I got a tingling feeling in my legs that this was important.

"So you've seen, Chiron, right? Know who you are and why and stuff?" Rachel noted distractedly as we skirted around other campers.

"Uh…"

"Great. That's awesome. Determined or Underdermined?"

"What?"

"You know who your mom or dad is? Got picked up yet? Swirly magical thing happen to you?" She gave me a look of pure bewilderment. "And how old are you?"

"Fifteen, and about my mom…" I thought back to the plant incident, but I was pretty sure that wasn't what she meant. "Uh, no?"

"I see," she said, eyes narrowing in thought. "That's odd, Percy made them promise…they are so going to get pounded." She finally stopped in a secluded area of the camp. "Ok, looks like we'll be safe here." Rachel let go of my arm, shuddering. "I seriously hate this sometimes," she confessed.

Fear was at my throat. What was I getting myself into? "Wait, what do you mean?"

I didn't get an answer. Without warning, Rachel suddenly stood stock still, her eyes glowing bright green.

Well, that was unexpected. I gave out a jittery laugh. "I'm going to go now, I've got some, uh, pies to eat. Nice to meet you Rachel!" I willed myself to take a few steps forward, but I couldn't. Rachel's eyes were like bright green searchlights, and they were so unnatural I had to fight the will to scream bloody murder. When she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was amplified, echoing off the trees and ringing in my ears. She looked like she was in a trance, that she wasn't herself anymore.

I was spooked out. Cindy was already on the top, but this totally just knocked her off her high horse. Seeing someone like this was really freaky. I started taking a few steps back, but Rachel's voice seemed to take hold of me, flowing through my ears and embedding the message in my memory.

"_The final three shall take a stand_

_Over heaven and under to heal the land_

_But beware one's fatal flaw to protect the foe_

_The weapon's prey will stop time's flow."_

After the phrase was finished, Rachel casually blinked twice, clearing the green from her eyes. "Wow. That was a weird one. Did you get it all?" Her voice sounded normal.

"…I'm really confused."

It was the truth. Over the last two days, so many odd things had happened to me that I was no longer sure of my sanity.

Rachel smiled. "You get used to it. But you're special, for sure. Better get you decided soon, you're a bit too old to still be unclaimed. Maybe we'll talk to Percy when he gets back."

With that final note, she laughed, and took my arm again. I relunctantly followed, still not too sure of what had just happened. "Come on, let's get going. I have a feeling someone's not too happy with your disappearance."

* * *

><p>Lars was not chill.<p>

"Do you know how worried I was?" he bleated, chomping on a tin can. "I'm your Keeper! I'm supposed to look out for you and all at this camp! And you decide, in your state of health, to take a walk, and suddenly disappear? If it wasn't for Rachel finding you, you could have been lost forever!"

I decided not to mention that Rachel was the one who dragged me over to a secret place and told me something weird in a creeper voice. The last sentence of her speech kept ringing in my head. _Weapon's prey stops time's flow. _That sounded pretty ominous, to say the least, and I didn't really want to decipher what it meant.

When Lars was done ranting, he took a breath and sighed. "Well, what's done is done. Better get you met up with Chiron. Let's go to the Big House, shall we?"

Since I had already angered him once, which seemed pretty hard to do, I followed Lars to the farmhouse I had seen from the night before. It was well built, around 4 stories high with a nice coat of white paint. I tilted my head up, and saw a golden weathervane twisting and turning with the wind. And there on the front porch steps, sat a portly man with dark hair and a can of Diet Coke. Next to him was a middle aged guy with thinning hair and a kind smile sitting in a wheelchair. I was instantly reminded of Auntie Phan.

"Hello May," said the man in the wheelchair, rolling himself over to face me, "We've been waiting for you."

* * *

><p><strong>Like I said, the next chapter is sure to be awesome. R&amp;R! Keep the expectations high.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Insert a really awesome chapter here**

Hope it will live up to your expectations! It's SUPER long this time.

Sigh, Percy's not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>: In which a smoking hot death god finally turns up.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. I nervously scuffed my torn sneaker on the ground, instantly self conscious. I didn't know this guy, but he seemed to emanate power and undying wisdom. I felt pretty puny in comparison.

The plump person beside him belched loudly, scratching his stomach. "Yes, yes, August, we've been waiting. For a really long time, too. You made me miss out on my poker party."

"I'm sorry?"

"You should be."

The man in the wheelchair gave him a look. "Now, Mr. D…"

Sighing, the porky guy got up and with lackluster enthusiasm said, "Hi, I'm Mr. D, welcome to Camp Half-Blood and all that wonderful nonsensical stuff. Enjoy your stay, and try not to die." Then he sat back down and went back to drinking his Coke.

His voice sounded vaguely familiar to me. I wracked my brain trying to remember, but the memory just wouldn't come.

Lars yawned. "You have the tape Argus?"

Argus showed up on the steps, an old cassette in hand, as well as a TV with a lot of stray cables hanging out. Lars eyed them hungrily.

The security guard plugged in the TV and slid in the tape. An old film documentary flickered to life, with pictures and a narrative voice.

"So this is the orientation film, watch it and understand," droned Mr. D, totally uninterested.

The tape began playing.

"Hello and welcome to Camp Half-Blood. I am your guide. Here, we will explain everything to you in under 20 minutes, guaranteed."

A scene with a young boy and a monster appeared on the screen. "You may have realized," said the voice, "That odd things have been happening. This is because you harness a large amount of power that ancient Greek monsters want to have, and will get by devouring you. Plus, they think demigods, or half-bloods, are tasty. Normal people cannot see them, and will receive a distorted image of what is truly happening. This is called the Mist."

So that would explain why the cab driver thought the dragon was a rabid moose. I nodded. It made sense.

The voice continued speaking. "However, demigods and certain humans can see through it. If you see abnormal creatures or fight monsters sometimes, this is all a normal process, and you should not be afraid."

Unless they're trying to kill you, I added absentmindedly.

The next scene depicted a familiar picture, that of the Greek gods and goddesses. The names flashed before my eyes: Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Ares…

"You have been sent here because it is not safe for you in the mortal world. This is due to the fact that you may be the child of a god or goddess, thus, a demigod. This would be why one of your biological parents has gone mysteriously missing. To find out your possible god or goddess parent, call the number on the screen now. Or, wait until you are thirteen years old to be claimed."

Before I could scribble down the number, Mr. D had fast-forwarded past it. "No real use," he grunted. "Trust me, we've tried."

And just like that, the concluding music started to play, and the narrative voice swelled up in intensity. "Yes, the Greek gods still exist in our world today, hidden, and as powerful as ever. You were sent to this camp to hone your powers and be protected. We hope you enjoy your stay. May the gods be with you."

The screen turned black, and Argus pulled out the tape.

"And there you have it," said the wheelchair man, smiling.

My mind was reeling from all the information. I sat for a while, collecting my thoughts, then turned to face Mr. D. "So I'm the daughter of a goddess," I reiterated, making sure more for myself than anyone else.

"Yes, January," sighed Mr. D. "The video should have made that clear enough."

"And I was being watched to make sure I was one by Auntie Phan and Lars?"

The man in the wheelchair gave a surprised cough. "Auntie Phan?"

"There was really no stopping her Chiron," said Lars. "You know how adventure-party crazy she is."

I looked at the middle-aged man again. So he was Chiron. He was the one that I had no idea about, yet the one that everyone mentioned constantly. He didn't look that intimidating, but the aura around him was different. Kind, stern…like that of an uncle or father.

Mr. D interrupted my thoughts with an annoyed throat clearing. "Yes, we sent them to keep a watch out for us. Lars should have escorted you over the hill, but he received an urgent call for another demigod, and ah…shirked his duties."

Lars gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry you had to fight that monster by yourself, but duty calls."

"Its alright," I replied, not really angry. I was thinking about something else.

Something from the video was tugging at the back of my mind. That, and what Rachel had said about my age. My mouth slowly formed the words. "But I'm fifteen. Why haven't I found out who my mom is?"

Chiron smiled sadly. "If she had sent out a sign, it would have been like a red flag going up in a sea of white. She probably couldn't take the risk."

Mr. D interrupted. "Or maybe she forgot."

Chiron shot him a disapproving look before continuing. "Besides, you were well protected. Your dad disguised your dyslexia and ADHD—"

"I'm sorry, I don't have either of those," I said, my voice stronger than I felt.

Mr. D scoffed and took another swig of his Diet Coke. "Or so you think, mortal. According to Lars, your ADHD is there, just well hidden. You just didn't notice it…the constant foot wiggling or finger tapping and whatnot. And dyslexia? Your father made you read so much and write so much, you hardly realized you were unmixing words in your head."

"But those traits are important," said Chiron gently. "Dyslexia is for reading Greek, while ADHD keeps a warrior alive in battle. They are things passed down from our ancestors to make life easier for demigods."

"I…I…" I really didn't know what to say. After Auntie Phan's explanation, I had still denied it. But now, the truth was startlingly clear. I gulped, accepting the fact, though I didn't really want to. I never desired those traits. But if they were a part of me, I would have to learn to accept them. Tears began brimming in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away, not wanting to seem like a crybaby. But uou can't really feel too great when you realize you're not normal, have a goddess for a parent, and along with that, a dose of ADHD and dyslexia.

"It's okay," said Lars comfortingly. "Denial is the first step for everyone. Get over that, and you'll be fine at camp. Your mom should send you a signal in a week or so."

"I see," I said, breathing out. So at least that problem was solved. I remembered what Rachel had said, and the eerie vibe she gave out, but I kept my mouth shut. Something told me that it was to be a secret until the time was right.

"Well, that's that," said Chiron, stretching his arms out. "Another orientation finished. Mr. D, why don't you go back to your poker game while I show May around the camp?"

Mr. D seemed to like the suggestion, and waddled off, calling "you'd better not make those Athena kids play me again, I hate it when I lose."

I turned to face Chiron. "So, are you a centaur too?"

He raised and eyebrow. "And what would make you think that?"

"Well, you're in a wheelchair, and Auntie Phan…"

He sighed. "She always ruins all the surprises, doesn't she? Very well then, let's go." And just like Auntie Phan, he rose from his seat.

Although I had seen the transformation process once already, it didn't cease to amaze me. Chiron grew taller, discarding the wheelchair, his bottom half looking like a giant white stocking. It occurred to me then that there was no possible way the wheelchair was real. It was merely a disguise, like some sort of magical contraption to keep the rest of his body hidden. _Probably designed by Athena _kids, I mused. He stretched one leg out, then another, the hooves hitting the ground until a full-bodied centaur was standing in front of me, swishing his tail. The wheelchair with fake legs lay at his side.

"Well then," he said in a bright voice. "Shall we get going?"

Behind me, I heard Lars grumble, "Any slower and we'll turn into Medusa's statues."

* * *

><p>We walked towards a giant campground, with dozens of cabins sprinkled here and there. The overall shape was rectangular, but there were a few misplaced ones on the outskirts.<p>

"Lots of gods," explained Chiron. "We're making cabins for the lesser ones as well, for equal recognition." There was a light in his eyes, like he was so extremely proud of the one who proposed the idea.

Each cabin was unique in its own way. Some were grand and bright, while others were calmer and more elegant. The Ares cabin looked fearsome, with bright red paint and barbed wire, and the lonely looking Poseidon cabin looked like it needed a friend. I could guess the gods and goddesses of some of the cabins, but others I couldn't make out at all. Some looked empty, while the rest were bursting with life.

"Hey Chiron!" called one of the campers, "How's it going?"

"Fine. And how are you today, Jake?"

Jake grinned. "Great! See you later, then. Hope you get decided, newbie!" He ran off, calling to his other friends who were playing with a tetherball a few feet away.

"Jake Bowler," said Chiron, leading me around the camp. "Son of Apollo. He just got here last year, but he's coping really well. Pretty good at archery, but needs to watch his aim sometimes."

I got the mental image of myself accidentally being shot by an arrow, and Jake's apologetic and sheepish face.

I decided to stay relatively far away from archery practice.

"When you're finally claimed, you'll go to your respective cabin," said Chiron. "But until then, you'll stay in Cabin Eleven." He gestured toward a homely looking hostel, made of wood and a weird scepter signpost outside. It looked inviting enough, but was one of the more crowded cabins. I noticed the red roof seemed to have gotten a new layer of paint, for it warned, "Don't touch, or we'll steal your stuff".

"It's gone through some renovations," Chiron said, smiling. "Now get settled, we have much to discuss later on. Dinner starts at the mess hall pavilion, you'll head there with the rest of the cabin."

I nodded. "Thanks for showing me around."

The centaur nodded back, and was about to leave, until it looked like he remembered something. "Oh, and May, something came for you today. It was left in the strawberry fields, but I'm sure it's yours."

He whistled, and out of a nearby tree came a girl, holding something very familiar.

"My suitcase!" I gasped. "How did you find it?"

"The question is, who was kind enough to return it," corrected Chiron, thanking the tree girl giving me a smile. "I advise you to catch up on some Greek mythology while you're here. It could make a life or death difference for a demigod."

And with that happy sentence, he trotted away.

I held my suitcase in my hands in disbelief. Taped on one side was a note, hastily scribbled.

Hey girlie,

You left your stuff in the cab. Hope you got that moose caught, it left a big commotion on the road. You said you were headed here, didn't see anything, but I hope you get this suitcase back.

Signed

Your faithful cab driver

I almost cried again, but this time because I was touched. He went through the trouble to return my things, even though it was dangerous. I made a mental note to find him again once the commotion was over, and hand him the biggest tip ever.

I stepped into the Hermes Cabin, and was greeted with the sight of cots. Lots and lots of cots, stringed up and down, side-by-side. Some were empty, some were occupied, and some (I guessed they were already claimed as Hermes' kids) were personalized.

"Hey, welcome to the Hermes Cabin!" yelled one kid, hopping off his cot to greet me. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes when he shook my hand, and was relatively well built, with auburn hair and tanned skin. "Travis Stoll, co-head of this cabin. I'll be your counselor till you get claimed."

He gave me a once over, sizing me up, before a similar looking guy, who was a bit shorter, rudely pushed him to the side. "You always get to talk to the girls first!" the guy hissed, then put a bright smile on his face. "Connor Stoll, co-head of this cabin. Travis likes to think he's the top dog since he's older, but we both know I'm more attractive."

"You guys are brothers?" I asked, but it seemed like a dumb question as soon as it left my mouth. Both of them had the same look in their eyes, like they could steal their way through any jewelry store.

"Unfortunately," they sighed together, taking me by the arm. "As much as we dislike it, we're related. Here's your bunk. If you got any troubles, don't hesitate to ask."

I put my suitcase down next to the cot and took out my little bamboo plant. I was surprised to find out that none of the leaves had turned yellow at all. It seemed as healthy as the day I left it.

One of the Stoll brothers whistled. "That's cool. No one ever brings a plant to camp."

"Except Katie," snorted the other one. "But she's always been like that."

"Um, yeah," I managed to mutter. I didn't know who Katie was, and I felt a bit like an outsider at this camp. Here, everyone knew each other…and I didn't know anyone.

Connor sensed my discomfort and patted me on the back. "Hey, you'll find your cabin mates soon," he said brightly. "Give it some time. You're sure to get claimed."

I gave him a weak smile. "Thanks. Excuse me, but I'm going to take a walk. Mind watching my stuff?" And then added as an afterthought, "Without stealing it?"

The brothers laughed and promised, shaking my hand till it looked like a limp noodle.

* * *

><p>I decided to visit the Athena cabin first to borrow some mythology books. It wasn't that I disliked reading, but the thought of asking to borrow books seemed kind of lame. I was going to be labeled a total nerd.<p>

Nerds are cool I guess, when they aren't talking about stuff that makes your brain hurt, but associating with them and Meadow Creeks was social suicide. Although I had been labeled one myself, I wasn't too keen on "buddy-ing up" with other intelligent people. Being bossy was, well, kind of inherent. I didn't try to be, yet sometimes a snobby, know-it-all comment would just slip out. But this chance to start over at camp was going to be ruined too, just because I had to borrow some books.

I was so not going to have any friends after this.

Taking a deep breath, I made my hand into a fist, ready to knock on the door. But something stopped me: a tingling in my right arm, from my fingers all the way to my shoulders.

I must have looked really weird, just standing outside a cabin with a fist raised, doing nothing.

The tingling didn't stop. It grew stronger, like it was trying to fight something back.

What was happening to me?

I quickly ran off, following the sensation in my arm. Somehow, I knew where I had to go. There was a disturbance somewhere, like a ripple in the very air, and it was tugging me towards it.

I ran all the way to the deserted edge of the camp, where the glowing fleece from last night was, guarded by a sleeping dragon. But that wasn't it…nothing was wrong with the scene. I knew it was totally out of place in the real world, but here, it sent out a feeling of warmth and protection.

So where was the problem?

Then the tingle in my arm suddenly slowed to a stop, and there was a tiny rumble in the ground.

Okay, bad.

I barely managed to step to the side when the ground cracked open, making a jagged line across the earth. I saw fingers clutch the edge of the fissure, pulling a body out of the ground.

Once the figure was out, the dirt and grass sealed itself up again, leaving only a slight line in the ground and a guy dressed in black in near critical condition.

I debated whether to run or help him. Choices, choices. He looked hurt, as his arm was bleeding through his dark clothes. His black hair was a mess. On the other hand, he _had_ appeared through a hole in the ground, and looked kind of suspicious. I wasn't really sure if I could trust him.

He slowly stood up, wobbling, and began to tip to the side. Without knowing it, I quickly went over to him and propped him up on my shoulder. The blood from his arm dripped on my shirt, and I groaned. I was going to be washing bloodstains out of my favorite shirt for a week. He was an inch or so taller than me, so it wasn't too hard to navigate him and gently set him on the ground.

The guy's eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow.

I made a split second decision and decided to help. He looked like he was on the verge of death.

I bent over him, talking in a quiet voice in case he could hear me. "Stay here, I'm going to get help. You know, to save you."

As if knew what I was saying, he opened his eyes, and searched the vicinity for a while as if to make sure of his surroundings before looking at me. He stared at me for a few seconds, and choked out a few surprising words in a raspy voice. "You're Asian."

I frowned. Not really the type of thing people say when they first meet someone, or when they're about to die. Instead of saying that though, I nodded.

Then he said something else that made my heart do a little flutter in my chest. "You're cute." And just like that, he passed out, closing his eyes, head lolling to the side.

Instant horror gripped my chest. If I didn't go now, he seriously could die. I quickly got up and ran to the Big House, nabbing Chiron and Lars. I told them about what had happened through some mild hiccuping and stammers as we ran to the spot with the dark haired boy. If that kid died, I was never going to forgive myself.

Lars assured me that it was okay, that he had just gone to sleep to avoid the pain of his injuries. I couldn't help but feel guilty. He was a camper, and I had suspected him.

After Chiron's healing, the guy's breathing got calmer, and the blood stopped flowing from his arm. Color returned to his cheeks, and I sighed in relief.

I helped Lars set the guy on top of Chiron's back, and we made our way back to the campsite. Campers were gathered around in worry. They had seen us rush out, and were instantly waiting bad news. I gulped, not knowing the reception we were going to receive.

Then they saw Chiron and the mysterious boy on his back, and burst into laughing whoops and cheers. Fist pumps were imminent, and one of the Hermes kids shot streamers into the air—probably stolen from someplace.

Chiron smiled back as he addressed the campers. "Nico's back."

* * *

><p>So? How was it? Impressive? Look forward to the next chapter! R&amp;R, constructive criticism is appreciated. :)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

It's been a while. Yeahhhhh sorry about that. :)

Sigh, Percy's not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>: In which some information knocks me out, literally.

I quickly got the gist of things. Nico was hailed as this sort of celebrity at the camp. The stunning Aphrodite kids were eager to fill me in, mouths running a mile a minute.

"He is so cool," gushed one with platinum blond hair. "Sure, he's the son of Hades and all, but the bad boy look just totally suits him."

"Yeah," agreed another, nodding, making her brown curls fly everywhere. "Plus, he saved the camp a few years back when he was like, only twelve years old!"

They sighed dreamily, clutching my hands like we belonged to a sisterhood. "He's really powerful too, he's been here for like, over four years, and is totally regarded as one of the senior campers. He just went on this crazy mission, he does that a lot you know, and tons said he couldn't do it. But of course he's come back, alive and all, and now our lives are in perfect harmony again!"

They giggled, looking at me with bright doe eyes, and I swear I almost saw sparkles dancing in their hair. I was instantly reminded of some version of Barbie that I saw on TV once.

"Was the mission really that dangerous?"

They gasped, eyes growing big. "Are you serious? So super dangerous! Was the talk of camp for weeks! He…" the girls lowered their voices, as if sharing a deadly secret, "He went to visit the Amazons to retrieve something…something ancient. No one knows what it is, but it's definitely got to be powerful."

They shuddered. "Amazons. Barbarian women. They always have the most dangerous of trinkets, and they have no pity for anyone. Look at the state he's in!"

Although Chiron had healed him, he had sent Nico to the Apollo cabin for further medication. "He'll live, but his wounds are not to be trifled with," the centaur said solemnly. "We must let him rest."

The girls sighed in dejection. "Wish we could nurse him back to health," they pouted. "But we don't have that kind of power."

"Um, it's okay…you guys can probably do little things to help when he gets better," I suggested, trying to comfort them.

They turned to me, eyes sparking. "You really think so?" breathed the brown haired girl.

I could only say one thing. "Yes?"

They squealed, jumping up and down. "Let's go ask the Demeter cabin for some flour, and sugar, and then get our secret stash of icing for a get-better-Nico cake!" they said excitedly, as if the idea was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

The blonde girl smiled at me, her teeth almost blinding. "Wanna come with?"

I gratefully declined, and watched the two lovesick girls giggle their way to the Demeter cabin. Last time I had tried baking anything, it had ended up in a broken stove, a small fire, melted plastic, and a runaway chicken.

Long story, don't ask.

I trudged back to the Hermes cabin, not knowing what to do. "Hey," I said, greeting the Stoll brothers. They looked up in interest. "What up, May? Ares cabin bully you? Want us to turn the boar head into a giraffe?"

I laughed, something I hadn't done in a while. It felt nice to have someone watching over me now that Dad wasn't here. "No, I was wondering if you guys could give me some in-depth info on this camp? Insiders know best, right?"

The Stoll brothers grinned. "May, you have come to the right source."

* * *

><p>They quickly pulled out a map of the camp that was stashed in-between some spaces in the floorboards. It had a layout of the entire Camp Half-Blood, with little arrows and side notes written wherever there was free space.<p>

"This map was created by Rachel," explained Conner. "She's really good with art and stuff. We…uh…added the commentary."

"Okay," said Travis, pointing to a girlish looking cabin with frills and a pretty terrace. "Aphrodite's cabin. Mostly girls, sometimes guys, largely self-centered and weak. You get the occasional good egg though."

"Next," declared Conner. "Artemis's cabin. She's a pure maiden, so no kids. After that, Ares. They're nasty. Basically every bully that you never want to meet. Got no manners, but they're really good fighters. Don't tell them I said that."

"Poseidon's cabin. For now, it's only Percy and Tyson, so we can't really make any generalizations. They're cool. Same with Hades, only Nico, so no real advice there."

"And then there's Demeter. Bunch of nature lovers, plant growers, supporters of cereal and good character. Kind of weak, but some of them are nice."

"Like Katie," butted in Travis.

Conner rolled his eyes. "Like Katie, you love sick fool. I'm telling you, Cupid must have been partying with Dionysus when he made your shot, because that is just downright weird."

Travis looked offended. "What? She's not weird! She's nice and…" he stopped there, ears flaming red.

I pretended not to notice.

"Anyway," he grumbled, continuing. "Dionysus's cabin. Their dad, Mr. D, is camp counselor, so they've got lenience. Got parties every night, and secretly making wine in the cellars. But don't trust anything they give you, you might go insane." It sounded as if he knew it from firsthand experience.

"Zeus and Hera cabins are empty, no one camps there right now. Apollo's cabin thinks they're the gods' gift to the ladies, and like to spew badly written poems. Mostly haikus. They make decent archers and most of them are pretty chill, but some of them are just plain annoying," said Conner. "Hephaestus kids are ripped from working in the forges. They do some pretty wicked stuff." He grinned mischievously. "Great partners in crime."

"The Athena cabin is a bunch of tightwads. Rules, rules, and more rules," sniffed Travis. "Total braniacs. Like inventing stuff and…" he made a face. "…Reading. But nothing really bad about them, except they totally trashed our chariot yesterday."

"And then there's us," the Stoll brothers said proudly. "Hermes. We're the coolest out of all of them, got the most friends, and the best pranks ever. Everyone loves us."

That was clearly a distortion, but I nodded. "What cabin is Rachel in?"

The brothers stared at me like I had suddenly sprouted another head. "She doesn't have a cabin. She's our Oracle. Predicts the future and stuff, gives quests. That's the only way you can leave camp," they explained. "You either get a quest, or get permission from Mr. D."

I was reminded of Rachel's glowing eyed transformation, and the raspy voice that had come out of her mouth. The image still gave me the heebie-jeebies, so I quickly changed the subject, "and what about the other cabins?"

They shrugged. "We would name them all, but that would take all day. We covered the major ones, the ones with the most kids. Most minor cabins have five campers, tops."

The brothers spent the next hour explaining the different activities in camp, as well as certain landmarks, and places I was not allowed to go for fear of certain death.

My head was spinning from all the information, like I had just been thrown into a washing machine and went for a couple of rides.

"So, you got it?" They asked when they were finally finished.

The room suddenly started whirling around. I frowned. "Hey, what are you guys doing? Stop it."

Travis looked alarmed. "May, we're not doing anything. What's wrong?"

I answered that question by passing out.

* * *

><p>I was in a place that looked desolate, dark, and decrepit, like my aunt's attic. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling in clumps, and I could barely make out the shadow of two people huddling next to a little candle.<p>

I was going to warn them that putting a candle in an attic was not really the best of ideas, when one of them spoke.

The voice was urgent, and the figure wracked his hands in worry. "You don't understand, master! One of them has it!"

The other, larger one chuckled. "No worries. Demigods pose no threat to me. _They _will be ours in a few weeks. Soon, the world will bathe in time itself, and we shall go back to the Golden Age, with the mortals as our chess pieces."

"But the ability—"

"Hush, little one, cease your blathering. Nothing can stand in my path, you understand?"

"Uh…"

"You're supposed to answer 'yes', you belligerent fool."

"Yes! You belligerent fool!"

The bigger man sighed. "Why did I keep you again?"

I was getting a bad feeling from these guys. I wanted to somehow go all gung-ho on them and defeat them with a single blow. This was a dream, after all, and it was in my mind. I had the power.

I tried to will myself a giant pole, some superhero strength, laser eyes, and invisibility.

None of my wishes were granted, and I stood there in my pajamas, looking like a total freak.

They couldn't hurt me though. The worst that would happen was that I would wake up, so I tried to listen more, creeping up on the couple as quietly as possible. Might as well let the dream play out.

"They are so unintelligent," the bigger man chuckled, stroking what seemed to be a goatee on his face. "They don't even realize what's happening in the mortal world. Consequences of our…ah, plans." He faced me, eyes glowing as hot as coals. "And hello. How long have you been here for?" The attic rumbled beneath my feet, and pieces of wood started raining down. "Like to eavesdrop on conversations, do you?" He mused, face still covered in shadow. "Well then. Too bad for you."

He laughed, a terrible sound that reminded me of all the worst things of my life. Suddenly, a huge black hole appeared in the center of the room, sucking everything down with it. The candle flame flickered out as I was dragged down into the shadows, the echo of the man's laugh still ringing in my ears.

* * *

><p>I woke up screaming.<p>

I hastily looked around. I saw white beds and clean sheets, with scrolls decorating the walls and inkbrushes on tables next to unfinished poems. No monsters, no black hole, and no attic. I patted myself.

All body parts were intact. Good.

Suddenly I heard a shuffle of sheets and a groggy moan. I turned my head to see a dark figure with a bloodstained shirt and mussed hair, complete with shadows under his eyes. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest from fear. It was just like a horror movie. A girl gets up, and finds out a murderer is next to her, then gets her head chopped off.

I screamed again.

"For the love of Hades, will you shut up?" the figure beside me groaned. "You're giving me the biggest headache of my life. And I've had a lot of them."

Upon further inspection, I realized the guy next to me in a sick bed was Nico. He looked as if he had healed remarkably, as he was sitting up and the color had returned to his face.

I chose to ignore his rude comment, as he was still resting and all.

"Where am I?" I asked.

It seemed that lately, I was asking that question quite a lot.

"Apollo cabin infirmary, but never mind that. Got food?"

I instantly had regrets for saving him.

"No," I scowled; slowly crawling out of the bed I was in. My knees creaked a bit and my head throbbed, but I was alive, intact, and not in a black hole. This was a good sign.

I headed towards the nearest door.

"You getting food?"

"No." Was food really the only thing this kid thought about?

He sighed and got out of the bed too, wincing as he gingerly stepped on the ground. I made a motion to help, but he shooed me away. "I don't need help from girls."

"You don't need help from girls?" I said in disbelief. Was this guy for real?

Nico tipped to the side, holding onto the wall for support. He looked like he could barely stand. Against his wishes, I helped him up anyways, propping him up on my shoulders. "You want food? Look, we'll go get some from the Apollo kids. And I'm not helping you because I like it, I'm helping you because you need it."

He struggled for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Gods, you're just like Percy."

"Who's Percy?" I asked absentmindedly as we headed towards the door.

"Percy Jackson is the most stubborn kid ever who likes getting into trouble a little too much. He's kind of like my big brother. Right now, he and his girlfriend Annabeth are off on a little quest together. They saved the world a couple of years ago. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover the satyr were the perfect team…everyone looks up to them."

Ah. Percy was another camp hero. I imagined him a little like super man, except without the spandex and alter ego. "So he's like you, right?"

"Are you kidding? He's from the Poseidon cabin! And he's really dumb sometimes. I guess he's strong, but he takes too many risks. I wish he would just take a break."

Other than the insults, Nico sounded like he really cared for this Percy person. I didn't know what kind of past they had, but I could tell they were close friends.

Slowly, I dragged Nico out of the infirmary and into the true depths of the Apollo cabin.

I was almost blinded.

Lights shone from every nook and cranny of the room, making the cabin brighter than it was outside. Music blasted from surround sound speakers imbedded in the walls. The curtains glimmered like foil, reflecting everything and everyone nearby, and I thought I saw tiki torches in the corners. The bunk beds were painted solid gold, littered with poetry books, magazines, and stuffed animals.

The Apollo kids were jamming out, occasionally blurting out a haiku.

"Pears are like peaches. Both of them are types of fruit. My stomach likes them." Then they would go back to their activities, strumming guitars, playing pipes and keyboards.

I was grateful for the fact that the infirmary seemed to be soundproof.

Nico looked like he was about to pass out again.

Quickly, I yelled above the din. "Hey, could you please get us some food?"

I saw Jake Bowler take off his headset and walk over. He was grinning. "Dudes! You're finally awake! Hey newbie, get claimed yet?" he said.

"No, not yet," I sighed.

"Aw man. That's okay, no worries. Will definitely happen by the end of the week," said Jake reassuringly. He reached into a cooler nearby and tossed me a juice pack.

I looked at it.

"Its nectar," explained Jake, passing me something that looked like toffee cubes. "And this is ambrosia. Food for the gods and heals almost anything. Tastes like the things you love the most. But don't eat too much," he warned, "Or else you'll spontaneously combust."

That would make a great warning label. Hey all potential customers! Our food is delicious, and makes your taste buds tingle! But watch out, because if you overdose, you might burst into flames!

I gave Nico the juice pack and the squares. He took careful sips and bites, eating almost daintily.

"What?" he asked when he was done, annoyed that I had been watching him.

"You eat like a girl."

He looked like he was going to murder me, so I did the thing that I had been doing for the past two days.

I ran.

As I left the Apollo cabin in the dust for the refuge of Cabin eleven, I heard Nico mutter, "She is so going to get it."

* * *

><p>It's been a long time, right? Haha this is what AP does to people.<p>

R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is slow. And cheesy. I apologize in advance.

Sigh, Percy's not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>: In which I break some prisoners out of jail.

Over the next few days, I found out I had no athletic ability whatsoever. Canoeing made my arms sore for the rest of the day. Swordplay? I ended up dropping the weapon on my own foot. Luckily, I didn't impale myself.

I couldn't shoot an arrow to save my life. In the end, the arrows always fell short, like tiny sad rockets without any fuel. Chiron patted me on the back, but I knew he was just being a good sport.

Rock climbing wasn't too bad, but it wasn't really something to brag about. Oh look, I can climb a wall! Impressive. Maybe I was good at it simply for the fact that if I didn't get to the top, the rocks and lava pouring down would lead me to a painful trip back to the infirmary.

The Athena cabin was nice enough to lend me books on Greek mythology and on camp life, which quickly got me caught up to speed. I was grateful that no one labeled me a nerd for asking, but the Ares kids did snigger, point, and laugh a bit.

Did it hurt my precious little feelings? No.

What did hurt was the barbed wire I found in my sneakers the next day. It was slightly worth it when Chiron sent them to kitchen clean up duty for the rest of the week. In my spare time, when I wasn't fighting or making a complete fool of myself, I read the borrowed books. Although all them were written in Greek, I managed to figure most of it out while sitting outside cabin eleven.

But through all the activities, while being at camp became more and more normal, something small was still nagging at me to listen to it.

_Why haven't you been decided yet? The end of the week is tomorrow. Could it be that Mom doesn't want you?_ The voice chided mockingly.

I told it to shut up.

* * *

><p>"So, capture the flag is today," said Travis, sitting down next to me. He made a disgusted face when he saw what I was doing, like he had just seen a Hydra beheaded. "Are you sure you're not an Athena kid?"<p>

I closed the book and set it off to the side. "I'm sure. Just lagging a bit behind in knowledge, you know? Don't want to become monster meat because I don't know what it is."

He nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I understand. Lots to learn. To feed your ginormous brain, here's another tidbit of information. Listen for a sec."

He bent down to my ear, voice low and suspicious. "Here's what we got so far. Ares has totally changed sides to work with Athena through a cleaning duty bribe. They've also got Hecate, Hades, Demeter, and Nemesis."

He shuddered. "Nemesis as an opponent is always bad. But anyways, it gets worse. Clovis woke up for a few minutes to make a deal with Nico, and now they're allies for the time being. Cabins fifteen through twenty-one, odd numbers only, have banded together as well, but cabin seventeen, Nike, is going to double cross them since they sense we're going to have a victory."

I shrugged, relieved. "Well if Nike predicts it, then why are you freaking out? We're going to win."

Travis almost pulled his hair out. "But that's the thing! How is it possible?" he said in a loud whisper. "We've got Hephaestus, Apollo, Dionysus, and the Aphrodite cabin! The only ones we can really count on to pull us through are the blacksmith kids, since the Apollo and Aphrodite backups will be flirting with each other for the game. And Dionysus only has seven kids, which is barely adding anything to our team!"

"Then what about cabins fifteen through twenty-one, even numbers?" I suggested.

He rolled his eyes. "May, you're lucky you have me around. The even numbers have two kids per cabin, and they're spirits of peace and friendship. We can't win capture the flag that way…got to get ugly! Get in the dirt, and kick some butt!"

I knew it was time for an ego boost for the Stoll brother. "Hey, but you're Travis Stoll. Certainly, a great mind like yours could think up a strategy to outwit even the Athena cabin, right?"

He puffed out his chest.

Score! The plan was working. "Not to mention, you're the son of Hermes, god of thieves. Can't you and Conner steal back some of the campers?"

"Well," he said, his eyes regaining a mischievous sparkle that I knew only too well, "You might be right May, but you forgot to mention my dashing good looks. But what ho! I've thought of a plan." He sniggered into his palm.

"Go get 'em," I said encouragingly, fist bumping him.

Travis grinned. "They'll never know what hit them."

* * *

><p>That night, as I scraped the largest turkey leg off my plate and into the fire, I quickly made a prayer to the gods, as I had every day previously.<p>

_Please, please, please Mom,_ I thought, _Get me decided today. It's now or never. If you don't want the Ares kids to pummel me into a pulp, please send me a sign. Anything._

My response was a lungful of smoke.

I sat down, totally _not happy_. I was fifteen, two years older than the designated thirteen, and still hadn't been claimed by my godly parent.

"Cheer up old sport," said Conner with a mouthful of spaghetti, patting me on the back. "With the Stoll brother's plan, we're totally going to win tonight. Gonna have the Aphrodite cabin distract cabins fifteen through twenty-one with their charms right before the game, holding them off so they can't call for reinforcements. Then, the Apollo guys will take out Hecate. No need to worry about Clovis and his guys, they'll be sleeping, we'll just avoid the area. And the rest of us will clash."

He grinned. "Awesome, right? But here comes the best part. We send you off to the right flank, near Fort Three, where the prisoners are. We get the entire Hermes cabin captured, and you make a jail break with the specially-made Fire Flare. They won't notice a thing, and BAM! Full frontal attack!"

I nodded in approval. I had to admit, it was a pretty good plan. Other than the whole May-is-the-core-of the-operation thing.

As I chewed on a piece of celery, I muttered, "Are you sure you want _me_ to bust you guys out?"

Conner laughed. "Positive. Don't worry, we got your back. Send up the Fire-Flare if you're about to get caught and need reinforcements."

I set my plate down, took a drink of some lemonade, and wiped my mouth. "Let's get this show on the road."

After the banner parade, the game was set.

"You know how this works," Chiron declared, laying weapons and gear out in the front. "Just like every other time we've played it. Remember, no maiming or killing, you've got the entire forest. Choose your equipment wisely. Let the game begin!"

There was a mad scrabble for armor and shields. I quickly tied a red bandanna around my arm to signify myself as part of a team, then slung a helmet over my head. The nearest weapon to me was something that looked like a misshapen hammer, but I grabbed it anyways. Better to be armed than nothing.

"Let's go!" called the Hephaestus cabin, leading us to the south side of the woods, while the blue team jeered and ran to the north.

I gulped. From my own experience over the past week, I knew I had no shot. I hoped that the job the Stoll brothers had assigned was easy and didn't involve any bodily injury.

This game was going to get ugly.

I ran to the edge of the forest, where the trees were the densest. I went past landmark one, Fort Two, and landmark seven, Fort Four, till I came to Fort Three, a little clearing in the woods marked by birches that were bent into bows, like a tunnel.

I sat there and waited.

Real exciting, sitting on rocks. Almost exciting as watching sloths move. I heard campers getting led to the jail, but it definitely wasn't time yet. I had to wait for my cue.

Suddenly, a hand emerged from the shadows and clamped over my mouth. I jumped up, my heart pounding out of my chest, and screamed.

Unfortunately, the sound was muffled by the attacker's hand, and no one heard me.

"Seriously, do you ever stop screaming?" a voice behind me hissed.

I shook my head in reply, then threw my head back.

I was rewarded for my action with pain and a dull knocking sound.

Quickly, I got up, ready to run and send the flare up, when I noticed the person I had head-butted was Nico. He sat on the ground, rubbing his forehead furiously.

"Your head is really thick."

"Shut up. And what are you doing here? No jail guarding."

"I wasn't jail guarding. I was sent to capture the jail buster."

Loud laughter echoed a little ways off. It was the signal. I thought really hard for a distraction, letting my mouth run while I wasted time, slowly inching my way towards the jail. "And how did you find out?"

"We captured all the Aphrodite kids in one go and interrogated them. You'd be surprised what information can come out when their make-up is taken hostage."

"Well, don't think you're so lucky," I said, lying through my teeth. Just a little more, while he was still off guard… "We managed to get the entire Ares cabin under our control. They're weeping in jail right now, waiting to get saved."

Nico laughed. "Yeah, right. Nice bluff. Now, why don't you stop moving towards the jail and just let me capture you?"

So he had found out. Maybe I was just bad at being discreet. So, I said the only thing I could think of at that moment. "In your dreams."

Seeing as I had tons of experience running away from things that were trying to get me, I figured I could at least escape and make a jailbreak. However, I failed to account for the fact that Nico had this weird ability to flit through the shadows, surprising me at every twist and turn, leading me on a chicken scratch path away from the jail.

I was becoming very tired, very quickly. When he suddenly appeared again, doubling up in laughter, I chose the dumbest option ever.

I whipped out the defective hammer, and charged straight at him.

Stupid, yes. Ineffective? Not quite.

The shocked look on his face was priceless. I managed to do a quick sidestep, conveniently dropping the hammer on his toes, then sprinted towards the jail. When I arrived at the location that was set off by a ring of colored flags, the Stoll brothers greeted me.

"May! Took you long enough. Think you can make a jail break?"

I grinned. Already, some other campers had noticed the attempt, and were closing in fast. I couldn't help but feel a bit proud and teary inside. Then, in order to make the operation successful, I sent up the flare the Hephaestus cabin had given me and shouted in the loudest voice I could muster.

"JAILBREAK!"

The shower of gold sparks erupted into the air, quickly burning up and destroying the flags of the prison. That was the rule: you eliminate the flags, and you get the jailbreak. This ensured that there could only be one in every game.

The red team flowed out, waving weapons and completely overwhelming the opposition. The freed army ran towards the area where the banner was being kept, whooping and cheering all the way.

I slumped to the ground, completely exhausted. My job was done.

"Are you serious? You actually did it?"

This time, I didn't have to look up to know it was Nico. "Yep. Are your toes okay?"

He sat down next to me, passing me the hammer I had dropped on him earlier. "Yeah, thanks for asking. Smart maneuver back there, but don't do that in a real battle. That's just dumb."

"I figured." There was a pause. "Is it bad that I still haven't been claimed yet?"

He shrugged. "Not really. It takes a while sometimes. I didn't even _get_ claimed. Well, unless you count opening a hole in the ground, capturing some undead warriors and sending them back to the Underworld."

"Sounds cool," I admitted.

Another pause.

"You could capture me and put me in jail right now, you know."

"I know. I just don't want to. Or maybe I'm too lazy."

I laughed. "Ditto. But just so you know, I could totally over power you. Me and my insane upper body strength and my trusty mallet could bring you down any day."

Nico smirked. "Nice use of sarcasm there, May."

"You know my name?"

I wasn't sure if the dark was playing tricks on me, but I thought I saw a faint pink tinge cover his cheeks. "Uh, yeah. I…heard some of the campers call you," he muttered.

"Your name's Nico," I blurted out.

Smooth move. Yeah right, about as smooth as running your hand over a cactus.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? No way."

"Nice use of sarcasm there," I shot back. He smiled. "Touché."

There was a comfortable moment of silence. Then, something felt terribly wrong. I stood up, listening hard for any type of threatening noise. You know, growling, hissing, roaring…that kind of stuff.

Nico seemed to sense it too. He drew out a blade from his side, dark as a moonless night.

"Keep your voice down," he advised. "A monster might have invaded camp."

"Just my luck," I muttered.

Right after I uttered those words, a nearby tree exploded.

Great. Like I said, just my luck.

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><p>CHEESY CHEESY LEMON SQUEEZY.<p>

I know, I know...but plod through these upcoming chapters, and the future chapters will be worth the wait. :)

R&R!


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is the big one. The Kahuna. **

**Apologies in advance for bad chemistry references.  
><strong>

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>: In which Dad's chemistry lectures kick some major butt.

Let me tell you something about me. There are a few things I really cannot stand, like chalk (it feels nasty), uncut fingernails, and hair in my face. But there's something that I hate even more, because I can't avoid it when it comes each year.

The cold.

The winter is quite possibly the thing I dread the most. I despise the feeling of goose bumps, runny noses, and lacking warmth.

So, when Nico and I were running for our lives through the forest, explaining to me that the monster was a Hyperborean giant, I was not too thrilled.

"They freeze everything around them, but the good thing is they aren't too smart. Though, now that I think of it, it's in the middle of spring. Why would one be here anyways? It's too uncommon…"

"Just cut to the chase, will you?" I snapped, growing impatient.

He glared at me. "This is serious, smart egg. It's escaped prison in Olympus. Something's wrong. But for now, we have to eliminate it before it reaches anyone else,"

"Peachy," I muttered. "So what do you plan to do?"

"I really have no idea. The best I can come up with is setting some undead warriors on him, then trying to beat it up while you go and run for help. I would love to brag that I can take this guy down by myself, but he could probably eliminate the skeletons faster than I can conjure them."

"Can you just open up the ground and swallow him up?" I panted, skipping over a tree root that was in my way.

"I'm totally spent," he admitted. "Truthfully, Chiron didn't want me participating today, but I insisted."

The giant roared, sending a cold breath that froze everything in its path. It's body was a deep blue, and waves of icy steam rolled off him

_Liquid nitrogen_, I remembered my Dad saying once. _Its temperature is about negative 320 degrees. If organic material touches it and enough force is applied, it could shatter it into a million pieces._

That was way colder than winter.

Suddenly, things were not looking too bright.

The Hyperborean giant hissed, flashing its blue biceps. I tried not to look back, instead concentrating on the path before me.

"Come back, you tasty little morsels," it taunted, transforming what it touched to ice. It put a hand on the ground, and sent a wave of icicles out from the earth. Nico pushed me out of the way before they could get me.

"Stay on your toes!" he yelled. He turned around, and raised a wall of rock behind us. The giant shattered it like a house of cards.

"Why doesn't it ever get tired?" I said, trying to catch my breath.

"It's a monster. Do they ever get tired?"

"Do you always have to be right?"

"Yeah."

I quickly dodged another sheet of ice. The air around us was chilling quickly. I sneaked a quick glance behind me, and noticed the trees glistening with frost. Either that, or they had been broken like glass, looking like pointy ice sculptures.

"Idiot! Watch out!"

I didn't have time to react as the monster roared, shooting ice picks from his mouth. If Nico hadn't tackled me then and there, I would've looked like a pincushion.

We crashed to the ground, rolling a few feet till we came to a stop.

My back ached, but other than that I was okay. I turned to my savior, a grateful smile finding its way onto my face. "Thanks, you totally saved me—"

I stopped short.

Nico was _not_ okay.

He must have been hit with part of the giant's attack, because his leg was bleeding and more than a frozen dozen needles were stuck there. He groaned. "And I was healing so well too…"

Another wintry blast of air froze the trees around us. Then the Hyperborean giant emerged from the forest, snapping the trees like toothpicks and looking like a really ugly mountain. He smiled evilly. "You're cornered now," he gloated.

The ground rumbled and split open, and hordes of skeletons poured out. They rushed toward the monster, attacking it with spears, but it was no use. The moment they touched its icy skin, they froze, unable to move. The giant finished them off with a few punches and stomps, sending shattered skeleton remains everywhere. The undead kept coming, but it looked like it was taking its toll on Nico. Sweat beaded across his forehead and his skin was pale and sickly.

I felt completely useless. I had no nectar on me, and had no powers to boast of. No swordplay skills, archery, or anything.

_Mom_, I yelled angrily in my head. _Now would be a GREAT time to tell me who exactly I am, before I turn into monster lunchables! _

As usual, no answer.

Thanks mom.

At that moment I was so extremely fed up, I didn't even care that she hadn't answered me. I knew the skeletons were proving to be an annoyance, but nothing more. Sooner or later, the giant would get rid of them, Nico would pass out, and there I was, unable to help.

The Hyperborean giant bellowed, throwing off the skeletons on him. "Pesky little ants! You shall all be crushed under my might and power!" He swiped an arm, eliminating half the army. Then he turned his eyes on me, and I felt chills run up my spine. He grinned, revealing teeth that looked like icicles. "When I get rid of you, they won't have to worry anymore."

They? Who was "they"?

I didn't have time to think anymore before I jumped to the side, evading his frozen breath. I took out my hammer. If I was going to die, then I was going to die fighting. The hammer looked like a useless weapon in front of the huge blue man, but it had proved its worth before. I grit my teeth and took a protective stance. I was not going to end my life like a coward, unable to do anything.

As soon as that realization hit me, the feeling happened for a third time. The world got sharper, like someone had focused my vision. I could sense the entire surrounding forest. I felt the giant's weight on the earth (it was really heavy), and I could hear the trees breathe behind their frozen shock.

The Hyperborean laughed, a roar that shook the forest floor. "You're going to come at me with a hammer?"

I looked it in the eye and adjusted my aim. "Yep."

The projectile hurtled toward his eye, and when it hit he clutched the injury in pain. "Half-blood! You will pay for this!"

The trees around me shook, and with a slight wiggle of my fingers, their branches shot out and wrapped themselves around the giant's body. He batted them away easily, their wood frozen and brittle from his icy touch.

Dad's memory flashed before me again. _If organic material touches it and enough force is applied, it could shatter it into a million pieces. But,_ he said, smiling, _what if it wasn't organic material? Do you think a force could be great enough to shatter the bonds of iron?_

Too bad we have nothing except organic material here, I thought. The trees themselves wound around the giant too, but still to no avail. Bushes, weeds, grasses…all the plants nearby grew and tackled the monster, climbing up his legs and knotting up his torso. He broke them apart easily once they had successfully turned to ice.

"Foolish child. You cannot hope to defeat me with your array of stupid plants," he spat.

Nico looked at me. "You attacked him with plants?"

I shrugged. "Wasn't intentional, they were kind of the only things I had on hand."

He shivered slightly. "You think you can hold him off for a while longer? I'm going to make a trip."

The cold was getting to me too, apparently. Because I thought he just said he was going to ditch me—

Nico blended right into the shadows, sinking into the darkness, leaving me alone with a Hyperborean giant who was out for my life.

"Looks like even your comrade has abandoned you." The giant smirked, looking down at me with one black eye. The trees were still doing their best to twist around him, but I knew he would snap them with no problem soon enough.

I concentrated hard.

_Do you think a force could be great enough to shatter the bonds of iron?_

Slowly, I felt myself changing the trees' chemical makeup, changing the living to the inanimate. The cells died out, transforming into iron atoms as metal rushed on the trees' trunk like a wash of dark paint. They squeezed tighter when they realized the giant could not shatter them like before, and branched out, leaving the monster in an iron prison.

To his credit, he looked terrified. "Look, okay, I get it! You can let me go now! I promise I won't hurt anyone anymore," he pleaded as a branch found its way to his mouth, preventing him from spewing ice.

I clenched my hand into a fist. "Fat chance."

He howled and burst into sand as the metal trees crumpled and bound him tight.

I sat there for a while, contemplating what I had just done. I looked at my hands like they might hold the answer to my mysterious power.

What was that?

I heard a rustle in the woods, and I was instantly alert again. I stood up and picked the hammer off the ground, prepared to fight.

However, I didn't need to be so alarmed. Nico burst out of the trees, with ten or so campers, Lars, and Chiron with him.

"Hey guys," I called out, cheerier than I actually felt. "I'm okay."

They stood there, dumbfounded.

"You did this?" whispered Nico, looking at the huge and twisted metallic lump of trees. I gulped. It was my fault this time, right?

I scratched my head. "Uh, I think so, not really sure how it happened."

Really, how did I do that? Then, like I had been struck by Zeus's lightning bolt, I had a sneaking suspicion.

The cold air was slowly disappearing since the Hyperborean giant was gone. Soon, the forest would be back to normal. I smiled, weariness suddenly sinking into my bones. The fight had made me tired, and my body was screaming at me to go to sleep to recover.

Everyone was staring at me, then back at the iron trees, then back at me. I frowned. "What is it? I'm not injured or anything…"

I looked up.

There, spinning, was a holographic image of pale golden poppy. It glowed for a while, then disappeared like the wind, leaving only the faint scent of wheat behind.

I looked at the crowd for help, unsure of what to say.

I knew what this symbol was, and I was starting to panic. It should not have worked out this way. My suspicion had been confirmed.

I knew who my mother was.

"Congrats," said Lars stepping forwards. "You've been claimed."

"I know," I whispered. But now that it was here and now, I didn't know if I wanted it anymore.

He grinned. "Mother of the Earth and bringer of life, goddess of the harvest. Welcome, May Wang, daughter of Demeter."

* * *

><p><strong>A tad obvious, yes. A little like Percy's...yes. ARGHHHH sorry it didn't come out better :(<strong>

**R&R. Next chapter will for sure be unique. **


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is kind of huge. It's long, hopefully more creative.  
><strong>

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>: In which I play with fire.

I should have realized it sooner. I mean seriously…Dad loves plants. Demeter loves plants. Flowers and trees helped me. Flowers and trees help Demeter. I could sense the Earth splitting open. Demeter…

…Okay, not too sure if she could sense it too, but she probably could.

"You finally got it!" said the Stoll brothers cheerfully as I packed my bags up to move to the Demeter cabin.

"Yeah," I answered absentmindedly. It kind of felt more lonely now that I was leaving. I cast one more remorseful look back at the cot I had slept in and sighed. I had spent four days in that cot, chilling with the Hermes kids. Now that I was claimed, I was forced to dig up the time I had spent here. The brothers seemed to sense my discomfort and gave me encouraging smiles.

"Don't worry! Katie's a stuck up prude, but she's a nice stuck up prude."

"Must you always talk about her Travis? Ask her out, or get a life. Choose one."

"My answer is C, none of the above."

"That was not one of the choices."

I gave them a smile back. "Thanks guys. It was nice being here, even if it was only for a while."

"Stop by and visit sometime!" called out Conner as I walked out the door. "We can prank the Ares kids together!"

I laughed. "Sure thing, and get myself killed later."

He shrugged in the doorway and smirked. "Always a risk to everything, right?"

I gave my final goodbyes and left with my suitcase. Before I knew it, I was standing outside a cabin with a thatched roof of hay, and a thick wooden door. Flowers of every shape and color were in pots scattered around the building. I couldn't help but name them as I saw the types that I liked.

Lavender, hydrangea, foxgloves and lilies. Rosebuds, tulips, bleeding hearts…

Ivy crawled up the sides, and I could see wheat growing in the back. A little sign outside the door proudly displayed: "Cabin Eight, Demeter". The air around the building was so much sweeter, as if the plants purified the very air around it. Warm lights glowed from within.

I swallowed, hesitant.

What if they didn't like me?

"Are you just going to stand out there, or are you going to come in?" said an amused voice. The door had opened, and a girl was standing in front of me with a kind smile etched on her face. Her hair was brown and shoulder length, and she was wearing gloves smeared with dirt. It looked like she had been planting.

"I'm Katie Gardner," she said, casually taking off a glove and extending a hand. "You must be the new camper right? Just got determined?"

I nodded and shook the extended hand. "I'm May Wang. Nice to meet you."

A look of surprised crossed her features as she ushered me in, taking the suitcase off my hands. "The girl who took down the Hyperborean giant? Wow," she whistled. "Impressive."

What was truly impressive was the inside of the cabin. Cozy lights were strung across the ceiling, and the beds looked warm and inviting. Fields of wheat and barley were painted on the walls, while in the back, flower pots littered the ground. Even at night the Demeter kids were hard at work, packing soil and talking to the plants to help them grow. A little girl, no older than ten, was watering a giant tree that stretched across the roof of the cabin, keeping the thatches in place. Mobiles of different plants dangled from its branches, full of information on when to plant them, what their seeds looked like, and all that gardening jazz.

"You're pad is really awesome," I said in awe. Katie laughed. "Thanks. Let's get you settled in, alright? Your bed is there," she said, gesturing to a bunk with clean white sheets near the wall.

I walked towards it and set down my things, opening my suitcase and taking out my bamboo plant. I carefully set it on a nearby windowsill.

Katie was watching with interest. "Is that your tie-down?"

I looked up. "My _what?_"

"Your tie-down," she repeated, sitting on the bed next to mine. "It's like…each Demeter kid has his or her special plant. You know, the kind that you like more than the others…like a special connection. Personally, mine are daffodils. I have my own pot right there," she said, pointing to a shelf where a beautiful trio of daffodils seemed to shine.

"So what do they do?" I asked.

"It's like your own personal domain when you have one with you. So, for example, I'm fighting a monster. I suddenly encounter some daffodils. WHAM! My powers increase tenfold, heal my cuts, my knee isn't messed up, etc. Fields of them are even better—you're practically invulnerable. It's like having a fight in a pool of nectar and ambrosia squares…except you won't burn up."

I looked at my own little bamboo plant. It could really do all that? "That's awesome."

"Sure, I guess. Well, keep a couple of seeds handy. They'll save your life." Katie said it with such certainty that I made a mental note to get some seeds ASAP.

An hour or two later, I was in bed, staring at the ceiling. It was dark, someone was snoring quietly, and the sheets were cool and comfortable. Too much had happened today. I was too tired to think of anything else, and sleep quickly claimed me.

* * *

><p>I was back in the attic again. Creeper 1 and Creeper 2 sat next to each other, backs turned to me.<p>

"It's almost here," said the larger of the two, Creeper 1. "Soon, they will be ours. Time will freeze, crops will die…the world will fall into hunger. And I will control all of it! Those mortals will be begging for me to be their savior…and once they fall under my power, next stop Olympus!"

"Yeah, yeah," agreed Creeper 2. "Once you force them to stop believing, those stupid gods will lose their power. And then we can rise!"

Creeper 1 sighed. "My poor, stupid little fool. Must you say all our plans out loud? Don't you think the core of this operation lies in secrecy? You got to the gist of the plan right away! You must NOT give enough hints or information so people can stop us."

I didn't think he realized that he had already blurted out his entire plan.

"Got it," Creeper 2 mumbled. "Won't happen again. But wait a sec, what about the prophecy? What about that…that…d-d-dem…ah, I keep forgetting…"

"Demigod, you worthless nincompoop. And don't worry about her. Once they are all collected, even time will be in my domain. And a puny thing like a demigod shall never have the ability to halt its flow. Now bring her in, Lufus."

A third figure, rustled in with a young girl in a cage. "I got her, boss," he grunted.

The little girl thrashed, pounding her tiny fists against the bars. "Unhand me you ungrateful brutes!" she yelled. Her brown eyes burned. Even though I wasn't really there in body, I could still feel my insides smoldering. This girl definitely was not an ordinary girl. There was something about her…more regal, more majestic than a mortal would be. But try as she might, the prison stayed intact.

Creeper 1 chuckled. "One Hour down."

* * *

><p>I woke up with a start. One hour down…what did that mean? Was time ticking away?<p>

I quickly turned to Katie, who was still in bed. I glanced at the clock nearby. Eight-thirty. Perfect timing. I shook her until she drowsily opened her eyes. "Whaddya want?" she grumbled.

I felt really stupid for asking, and even worse about waking her up. I knew exactly how precious sleep could be, but the nightmare was nagging at me so persistently that I had to anyways. "Is it, uh, normal to have weird dreams?"

My dreams from the past were nothing like the one I just had. Sure, they were weird. Sure, embarrassing things happened, and they didn't make sense when I recanted them. Especially the one about saving Tinkerbell from being turned into a key chain and defeating the Evil Vector Lady with a clothes hanger lego ship. But this one was different—it was like I had just been thrust into a scene that was happening right then and there. It was so vivid and so lifelike that when I awoke, I was surprised to find myself back in the Demeter cabin.

"Weird dreams?" asked Katie, totally alert. "Yeah, demigods will get those. Why? What did you dream up?"

I quickly retold her what had happened, including the one I had before where I fell into a black hole. It felt a bit embarrassing, and it sounded much less scary than it had been in my head. I thought Katie was going to laugh at me, but she immediately got out of bed once the story was finished, her face deadly pale.

"Let's wash up," she said in a serious voice. "And get ready May, because things are going to get a bit rocky."

* * *

><p>"Now that's a new one," said Lars, eating a plastic bag. We were sitting outside the Big House on the patio, and Chiron was looking anxious. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping happily, and I was more nervous than a kid with bad acne who needed to give a presentation. I had repeated my dreams, now with a bigger audience than before, and they had the same reaction as Katie, with the exception of Lars who was as relaxed as ever.<p>

"Things like this happen a lot," he said, "Kids get these weird dreams, and it's up to us to decipher them. Usually having a super creepy one will earn you a quest, but this one is almost as bad as Percy's. This calls for a bit more of an intervention."

I thought back to Rachel, the girl with glowing eyes and an echo-y voice. She had recited something, a prediction, and it pertained to me. For some strange reason, I could still recall her prophecy, word for word off the top of my head. Lars looked at me like he knew I was keeping something secret, but merely grinned and mouthed, "you can tell me when you're ready."

Chiron got up, sighing. "Well, it seems your stay at the camp has been cut a bit short. I don't know who the girl is, but she must be important for someone to want to capture her. Nevertheless, your time has come for you to prove yourself worthy to the gods. Lars and Katie, will you show May to the weaponry?"

They nodded in agreement.

"Good. I will see you all later. In your spare time, please take a trip to the Oracle. I think a quest may be in order."

A quest? More responsibility? Peachy. More monsters for me to beat up…or get killed by. All depends on the situation, right?

"Come on," said Katie. "We'll get you the right weapon. I'm sure we'll find something that suits you."

* * *

><p>We didn't find anything that suited me. I went through piles and piles of weapons, from swords to daggers, guns to slingshots, spears to shields and everything in between. Nothing seemed right. The lance was too short. The gloves were too heavy. The mace was too…medieval. None of the weapons lying in the little tool shed could satisfy me, and Katie was getting depressed.<p>

"Is there really nothing? Come on, just…just try this one," she pleaded, handing me another spear. We had been weapon searching for over an hour.

I held it in my hands. "It's unbalanced…sorry, I can't use this." I felt like a total jerk. I had rejected everything Lars and Katie had suggested, even though they were trying their best to help. Piles of metal littered the floor, scattering the light around so it looked like we were in a sea of broken glass. The sunlight that had filtered in was chock full of dust. I sneezed.

"Don't worry about it," shrugged Lars. "If a weapon doesn't click, it doesn't click. Nothing we can do about it. The worst thing is choosing an incompatible weapon. Might as well just shove yourself in an apple barrel." A dreamy look came over his face. "Apples. Man, do I love apples."

Then, it looked like a little light bulb had gone over Katie's head. I heard her mutter, "well duh." She got up rapidly, and dusted off her jeans. A determined light was in her eyes, and she grabbed our hands, her voice ringing with authority. "Well, if nothing here is good enough, we'll just have to make the weapon ourselves."

Lars laughed. "Now you're talking! Come on May, we're going to visit Cabin five."

"Who's in Cabin five?"

Lars raised an eyebrow. "Why, Hephaestus of course."

* * *

><p>Even though I had teamed up with them for capture the flag, they were still pretty intimidating. The cabin leader, Joseph (not Joe, Joey, Seph, or anything in between, for fear of cringing underneath his gaze) gave me a warm introduction. "Now what can I help you guys with?" he said in a deep voice.<p>

I looked at his tan arms. I had expected to find them raw and red from being in the forges for such a long time, but they looked normal.

Katie shook me out of my stupor. "Yeah. You think you can forge us something? We can only count on you guys now."

Joseph laughed, a deep rumble that seemed to reverberate throughout his body. "A weapon? What are you guys thinking of?"

Lars looked uncomfortable. "Well, that's the thing. We don't really know what we're looking for. May's kind of got a problem with selecting the right weapon for her, so…"

He let the matter hang there.

Joseph scratched his head. "Sorry, but if you don't have an idea, I don't know what I can do to help you. May, do you have requirements? Like any sort of guidelines?"

I thought for a moment before replying. "No swords. No lances, javelins, daggers, or pointy objects of any kind. No hammers, mallets, sling shots…"

Sling shots. No sling shots. But what about something similar?

And idea struck me, and it so ingenious I was surprised I wasn't in Athena's cabin. Just in case, Katie had said. I thought back to my years in middle school, when I had tried out for band. The only instrument I had been able to play was the clarinet, and after four years, I had the lung capacity of an elephant. But then things changed, I lost interest when I found out I couldn't play for beans, and it became a faded memory in my mind.

The feel of the instrument, the breath of air that could hit notes with such inaccuracy…I missed those times.

Maybe now I had the chance to bring them back.

I took a hesitant step forward. "Actually," I murmured. "Do you think you could make me a blow dart gun?"

There was a deadly silence. Katie's mouth had dropped so low I was afraid her jaw would fall off. Lars looked stunned, and Joseph mouth was twitching.

Finally, Joseph couldn't take it anymore and he grinned wildly, shaking my hands up and down. I felt like a water pump. "Why yes. I do believe we could make that. Got an idea for the darts? Want anything special?"

I looked at Katie, hope riding on my voice. "We'll need Katie's help."

"Me?"

"What do you think of this? Bamboo shoots and assorted plant seed darts." I braced myself for the strong refusal, waiting for the long silence to be broken. Then I saw the corner of her mouth move, and pretty soon, her face was the same as Joseph's. "I couldn't have thought of a better idea myself."

* * *

><p>The forges were hotter than a frying egg in the middle of the Sahara Desert in the afternoon. The Hephaestus kids were working away, sweat dripping off their foreheads and hands working furiously to shape white hot metal. In another room, steam rushed out the window as new items were created and cooled. I heard clanging everywhere, and near the doorway there was a clear box with medical supplies labeled: "For burns." I realized half its contents were missing, and I was sure the Stoll brothers had nothing to do with it this time.<p>

"I've got the blueprints here," said Joseph, pulling some gloves off a nearby shelf and showing me a diagram. I took it from his hands and examined it for a moment before giving it back. "Looks good to me," I said happily. It was exactly as I had imagined it: a shiny copper color, thin and hollow and able to change trajectory paths depending on how I covered up its holes.

"If it didn't look good, we'd be in trouble," said Lars, who was sweating buckets in the heat of the forge. "You're so lucky I was your keeper, or else I would not be in this furnace right now."

I gave him half a hug, afraid that a full one would make him pass out. "Thanks Lars," I said sincerely. "You're the best."

"I know, I know."

Katie on the other hand, was talking about weaponry and darts so fast that only Joseph could keep up with her. They were into a heated debate about the design of the darts, but seemed more excited than I was.

Under Joseph's careful watch, I selected some metal, melted it down, and poured it into a mold. He refused to help me, stating that creating my own weapon would create a stronger bond. I wasn't too quick on the uptake, and nearly burned the building down once or twice, but I kept diligently working. I pounded the metal so much I felt like my hand was going to fall off. Slowly, its shape began to take form, from a lumpy twinkie to a thick roll to the final stage. Sparks flew left and right, showering the area in golden flames. But finally, the job was done, and I wiped my brow in accomplishment. Joseph took the finished piece from, immersed it in water, and let it hiss like it was coming to life. Holding it with tongs, he rotated and made it shine like a completed treasure in the dim light of the forges. "There you go May. What would you like to name it?"

I felt really dumb. "We have to name it?"

Katie snorted. "Of course! By naming your weapon, you grow to identify with it. It becomes more than an inanimate object—it becomes your friend."

"I really have no idea."

"Then think! We have time."

"But Katie…" I knew I sounded whiny, but I really didn't want to do something as childish as naming my weapon.

Katie looked at me sternly, and I instantly was guilt tripped into thinking of a name. I put my mind to work, and eventually came up with something. "Jingo. I'll call it Jingo."

It sounded similar to "jingle", like a tune out of a clarinet that had inspired the idea. But _jingle_ was just too…ordinary for something I had slaved over. It also had the same meaning as surprise. I had a feeling monsters were totally going to run away in shock from my weapon. Ok, so Jingo didn't look intimidating at all, more like a small bronze tube, but it didn't matter. Once I put it to use, it would be defeating monsters left and right.

…If I managed to survive them anyways.

Joseph held my weapon closer to me so I could grasp it. "Nice name choice," he commented. I smiled, thanked Joseph, and took Jingo from his tongs. It felt smooth and cold to the touch, and my fingers fit around it perfectly. I remembered the story of Goldilocks, and how long she had tried till she found the perfect things. That was like me. This was my "just right." Sure, I had nearly burned Katie with red hot iron, and sure, I had over dented the metal a few times, but now this was mine, and it felt like a little bit of the world had been added to me.

"Cool," drawled Lars, handing me a big bag. I shook it, and I heard the items inside clink. "Your weapon is pretty awesome. Almost as cool as my piccolo, but not quite. Yeah, those are your darts. Pull the drawstring to grab and load, and I know it looks kinda chunky, but it'll change size till you're happy with it."

I held it in my hands, surprised as it began shrinking until a tiny purple satchel sat in my palms. I tied it to a hook in my pants, but didn't really know what to do with the blow dart pipe. I frowned. How in the world was I going to carry this?

Katie smiled. "Hey, don't worry, all was thought ahead of time. See the little knob at the bottom? Twist it."

I obeyed, and suddenly, Jingo shrunk into little tube of vanilla chapstick. I took a whiff. It smelled decent. I applied some and smacked my lips, pocketing the tool.

Time to have an audience with the Oracle.

* * *

><p><strong>So...truth is, Jingo is the name of my stuffed unicorn. SHHHH don't tell.<strong>

**Cool right? Fighting with chapstick. It keeps your lips moisturized :D  
><strong>

**R&R. Next chapter...mystery answered.  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**AHA! So that's what's happening!  
><strong>

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>: In which Nico jumps on the bandwagon of death.

Rachel was overly excited to see us. The moment we entered her clearing, she got out of her meditative position and bounded over, her red hair flying everywhere. It looked like her head was on fire. "Hi! Lars, Katie…and May right? I heard you got claimed. Demeter, nice one. So are you guys just visiting or what?"

"We need a quest," explained Lars. "May's been getting weird dreams of creepers in a corner. You know, the darkness, 'let's take over the world' idea again."

Rachel was puzzled. "But wait, I already gave her a prophecy. She didn't tell you?" Now was the time to get busted. I had been keeping the secret for a pretty long time, and it was all going to come out.

Katie turned to me, expecting an answer. She tapped her foot and crossed her arms, looking a lot like a stern mother. I shriveled under her gaze. The guilt was eating me away. "Um, no, I didn't tell them. Sorry, I thought I should probably keep it to myself until the right moment."

"The right moment?" said Lars, raising an eyebrow.

I gulped. "Um, yeah. If you want me to say it now, I still remember."

Rachel laughed. "Great, because I don't. Too many prophecies!"

I repeated what Rachel had said the first day I came to camp. Katie's face blanched when I mentioned "Weapon's prey," and Lars looked like he was going to pee his pants. Rachel twirled a lock of her hair in thought, almost as if she knew who was going to go with me on my journey to the pits of death. When I finished, Rachel commented. "Yep. Definitely a quest. The final three obviously indicates the people on the quest, so you and two undetermined others. Healing the land? Well, I haven't noticed anything wrong happening yet. The sheepskin is still good, and mortal TV has been relatively calm…but we can't say for sure what's going to happen. Fatal flaws are always weaknesses, so you'd better watch out, especially if you may be helping the enemy. And weapon's prey? Let's not think about that."

"So what do I do? I have no idea where to go, or what actions to take, and my dreams are SO not helpful."

"Can you remember anything about your dreams? Anything specific about the surroundings? It may lead us somewhere."

I thought for a moment before replying. "This may sound dumb, but the place looks uncannily like my aunt's attic." It gave the same eerie feel, like something mysterious was lurking in the shadows. I even remembered seeing a photo of my grandmother, as well as a rickety chair that had retired a few years ago. The shape of the ceiling was nearly identical.

Rachel stared at me. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Told you it sounded dumb. But it does."

Lars munched on an apple he had conveniently taken out of his pocket. "Well, what are the odds? I say, go to your aunt's and check it out. No biggie."

"Except for…" I fidgeted with the edge of my shirt a bit. "It's kind of on the other side of the world."

My aunt was this teeny little Asian lady who lived in Beijing, China. She spoke decent English, but had this odd habit of petting people's heads when she first met them. I had visited a couple times over a range of summers, and was glad for the air conditioning she had in her house. It was a welcome relief from the oppressive heat. Auntie made the best tea, grown straight from the leaves on a tree outside her house. It always smelled sweet and tasted a little bitter and I loved it. While Auntie was kind, she was also a little ball of fire. She bustled about constantly, cleaning, straightening, and filling my brain on the use of herbs. And when she was angry, she could knock a guy's teeth out. Trust me, she broke up quite a few brawls on the city streets.

Her attic was like any other attic. It was old, dusty, and had not been inhabited for years. But apparently, people were now meeting up or residing in there. I didn't know if my Auntie knew about this, or if worse things had happened to her.

I asked Rachel if I could use a phone to call her or something, just to make sure she was okay. Rachel sighed and denied my request, stating that cell phones were like a sure fire lures for monsters. "We can't risk it," she said apologetically. Then, she lowered her voice, so quiet that if I had not been standing right in front of her, I wouldn't have heard it. "But, if you really need one, Nico has his on him. He snuck it in through the camp boundaries, but don't tell a soul, got it?"

I nodded, smiling brightly. She was too nice. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now go find that brat."

Katie narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Lars seemed to understand the situation. I had heard rumors that satyrs have impeccable hearing. "She was talking about the quest, and how we need to talk to Chiron so we can get...uh, transportation to Asia," he covered up. I had to admit, the reasoning was good, and he pronounced it so convincingly even I started to believe that it was exactly what Rachel had said.

The lie was smooth, and Katie accepted it without hesitation. With a final goodbye to Rachel, we trekked back to the camp.

I idly played with the chapstick I had in my pocket as we walked. Who in the world would want go to China with me, especially for a quest? The request in itself was ridiculous. Like I could just ask people, "do you want to come to a foreign country with me so we can potentially get killed in my Aunt's attic?"

I sighed. There was really no helping it. I should let time just take its natural course, and everything would be fine.

Right?

Wrong.

Without warning, I felt a cold shiver run up my spine as a cool hand grabbled my ankle. This was totally not supposed to happen. Before I could scream, the hand pulled down, and I was dragged into the ground.

Being inside the earth is not a happy feeling. It's cold, damp, and smells like dirt. The hand kept tugging as I seemed to travel through the never-ending darkness, the wind rushing past me so fast I felt my cheeks puff out and my eyeballs dry out.

Dry eyeballs don't feel so hot either.

I didn't know how fast I was going, but I eventually resurfaced and took a huge lungful of air. I collapsed on the floor, trying to catch my breath.

"Huh. So it does work."

I looked up, and saw Nico's smirking face. "What up, Wang," he said cheerfully, like he didn't just try and scare me half to death.

"What did you do?" I gasped, almost choking on my own spit. I had never experienced a greater desire to strangle someone before. He sat on a bed with dark covers, looking cocky and extremely proud of himself. I must have been in his cabin, since I could see clothes strewn everywhere, and a photo of him and a girl. They looked young and happy, the girl with her cap and Nico displaying Mythomagic cards.

"What did I do? I merely allowed you to experience some shadow travel. To tell you the truth, I wasn't too sure if it would work or not from a distance, or if I could find the right person."

"You mean I was like a guinea pig experiment?" I spluttered.

"In a sense, yeah."

"What if I had been changing or something? What if I was in the showers? Do you realize how embarrassing that would be?" I yelled, throwing my hands up.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I wouldn't mind."

I wanted to punch his face so bad, and knock out a few of his pearly whites.

Nico continued. "Again, I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I did, and now I wish to have a word." He leaned forward and looked me in the eye. His stare was unnerving. "Do you have any idea why," he breathed, "that summer isn't coming?"

He was not the brightest lightbulb in the box. I looked at him dumbly. "Because it's spring right now?"

"You don't understand, smart egg. There are no temperature changes in the air. The plants aren't growing, it's like they've been frozen in time. Even the Demeter cabin can't make the fruit bud faster anymore, that's why they've been gardening hard every night. They're trying to find a solution."

"Maybe it's just a phase, summer can't just not happen. There has to be a logical explanation for all this," I answered.

Nico clasped his hands and sighed in exasperation. "Do you know," he began, "how the seasons even work? There are three Hours who are the gatekeepers to Olympus. Thallo, goddess of spring, Auxo, goddess of summer, and Carpo, goddess of autumn. They're the ones who control the balance of nature."

Woah. Hold your horses. That was not what the camp books had said.

"I thought that was Persephone and Demeter. You know, season changes when she comes out of the Underworld and stuff."

He sighed. "Well, that's true too, but only to a certain aspect. Persephone makes the flowers bloom, that's why she's associated with spring. But the weather, climate, and plant growth—that's all Auxo. And the fact that none of it is changing, especially as late as the end of April, can only mean one thing."

I realized it too. The way the burly man had chuckled in my dream.

_One Hour down. _

Nico bit his lip in what could only be seen as worry.

"Auxo is missing."

* * *

><p>So this was actually kind of serious. I could see where problems could happen. You know, shortage of crops, no food, extreme world hunger. If summer didn't come, that would mean eternal spring, which meant no autumn, and no harvests. I couldn't help but ask if he was sure. The grim look on Nico's face gave me the answer that I really didn't want.<p>

"So what do you want me to do about it? I have no idea where she is," I said.

"But you're the one," he answered, "That has been getting the dreams. Do you think it's really that convenient that when summer isn't coming, you suddenly show up? And with dreams about attics, people who want to destroy Olympus, and a captured girl? It's a little coincidental, don't you think?"

"Uh…"

"Not to mention, you got a prophecy. A quest. And it makes sense with the changes that are happening. _Over heaven and under to heal the land_…which obviously means rescuing Auxo. This is what you have to do. You've even got a giant trying to eliminate you, which is probably because you're a threat to them. With one Hour gone, the gates are less secure. I wouldn't be surprised if our enemies could slip out a monster or two."

"So basically," I said wryly, "I'm actually important. Funny stuff there. Let's look at the more down-to-earth stuff here, okay? First off, _I got here five days ago. I just got claimed, and really have no idea how to use my powers. _How could I possibly be a threat?"

"Well—"

"And," I continued, not giving him a chance to speak, "Did you ever think maybe the giant was trying to kill you off? Not me? And finally, I'm just a demigod. Like the evil guys said: what can I possibly do to them? The gods are a million times stronger than I'll ever be. I'll let _them_ take care of this issue."

I reveled in what I had just said. I couldn't believe myself. I was so incredibly selfish…

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to—"

"There's a reason for a prophecy, you know," Nico said quietly. It looked like he was remembering something painful, something he wanted to forget. "They always come true, whether we want them to or not. They give us glimpses into the future so we can be prepared for the events when they hit. And as much as I know you don't want to do this, you have to. It's your quest, and you have to fulfill it."

I sighed and gave in. "Yeah, I know. I'll do it."

Decision made, point and check. It was written in pen, no use trying to erase it.

I was so going to end up in the biggest mess ever.

Nico got up from his bed and walked towards the window, looking outside. "I'm coming with you."

He was going to _what?_

"Wait a second, let's not get ahead of ourselves. How do you know you're supposed to travel with me?" I fumed. Sure, I didn't mind him coming along (he _was_ nice to look at), but I couldn't have him almost die again.

"Listen up, smart egg."

I was really hating that nickname.

"It says over heaven and under, right? So the equivalent of heaven and under: Elysian Fields and Tartarus. And where are these places located? The Underworld. And who's the son of Hades? Me. There is no possible way you can succeed without me."

"Do you seriously have to be right all the time?"

"Well, it's one of my best traits. So it's settled. I'm coming along."

Then something sparked my brain. It should've happened a while ago, but I was too caught up in Nico's words to realize that something was wrong. I looked at him suspiciously. "So Nico. You mind telling me how you know about my quest? And my prophecy? And my dreams?"

His face instantly went into guilt mode.

I got up from the floor and crossed my arms, giving him the harshest look I could muster. "Mind explaining yourself?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

He stared at his feet like they were extremely interesting. "I might have eavesdropped on your conversations a bit," he muttered.

I almost choked on my spit again. "You were spying on me?"

"Not spying! I just wanted to…" his face turned beet red. "I…uh…argh! Whatever, I didn't mean it, okay? It's just that I saw you guys going to Chiron's, and I couldn't help but want to figure out why…so I just listened through a bit of shadow travel."

I frowned. "You're sorry, right?"

He looked remorseful. "Yes, I'm sorry."

I uncrossed my arms and smiled. "Good. But you know that if you travel with me, we're going to the other side of the world right? You'll be a foreigner. You think you can handle it and not get killed?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Please. You should be the one worrying."

I stuck out a hand and wiggled my fingers. He grasped it, his hands nice and cool, and shook.

It wasn't what I wanted. "Thanks for your handshake, but I want to use your phone."

"I don't have a phone."

"Stop lying. Rachel spilled the beans. Now hand it over."

Scowling, Nico turned to a wall and pressed a button on the bottom of the windowsill. A part of the wall popped out, revealing a cabinet and a deposit box inside. After going through a series of combinations, the safe opened, and inside was a sleek cell phone.

"Only once, okay?" he grumbled, putting the phone in my hand.

I quickly punched in my Auntie's number, waiting a suspenseful three rings before her crackly voice came over the speakers.

"Hello?" she said in Chinese. "Who is this?"

"Hey Auntie, it's May," I replied in English.

She instantly changed languages. "Ah! May! How have you been? I miss you, how's life in America?"

I smiled. "Life's good. Hey, I was just calling to make sure you're ok. Nothing bad has happened, right?"

"No, no! Sometimes, weird sounds on the ceiling but not really disturbing. I think birds find their way into attic, and stomp stomp around." Her laugh traveled over. "No, I am fine. How is your father?"

Birds? No, it was the creepers. I knew right then and there that I had to go over. I couldn't have some weirdos living in Auntie's house without her knowing. Besides, they were planning to overthrow Olympus too, so that was another plus. And how was Dad, she had asked. I had to lie through my teeth this time. I couldn't tell her the weird things that had happened over the past week. "Dad's good too. Uh, he's with some customers right now, so he can't come to the phone. But I might be coming over to visit for a while with some of my friends."

"Coming over? You are welcome here anytime! Auntie will take good care of you. School is on break?"

"Yep. We're on spring break right now." Another lie, but it wouldn't hurt. I felt bad deceiving my Auntie, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I knew I couldn't use the phone for much longer, so I said goodbye and told her to expect us in a day or so.

I gave Nico his phone back. "Thanks. Auntie's fine, so we can crash at her house and eradicate some bad guys while we're at it. And maybe we'll find a clue about Auxo's disappearance. So how are we going to get there? By plane?"

Nico shook his head. "Zeus has a bit of sibling rivalry issues with my dad. He would zap us out of the sky and let us plummet to our death. I'll figure out transportation. You talk to Chiron and Lars, and Katie too. Go to Katie first. She's probably freaking out because you mysteriously went missing."

"And who's fault is that exactly?" I retorted, opening the door and stepping out into the sunlight.

"Mine."

He didn't look a bit guilty at all, waving and smiling cheerfully like this was all part of his plan.

* * *

><p>The second I got into the Demeter cabin, Katie jumped up from her bed, tackled me with a hug, and then scolded me into oblivion. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? One second you're with us, then we turn around, and you're gone! What if a monster had gotten you? What if you were kidnapped?"<p>

Well, I had been kidnapped, but I chose not to say it. I had a feeling Katie would be getting some help from the Stoll brothers and give Nico the most miserable night of his life.

"Lars and I were seriously about to get Chiron and some other campers to scout for you if you didn't turn up in the next hour." She took a breath. "Anyways, I'm just glad you're ok."

I hugged her back. "Thanks. But I've got to talk to Chiron now, for the quest and stuff. Supplies and all that."

The door opened with a sudden creak, and I nearly jumped out of my socks. Katie looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Really Travis? Do you have to butt in at this time?"

"You know you like it Katie," said Travis, sauntering through the doorway. He gave me a smile, then turned to her again. "Anyways, how's the planting going?"

Katie grumbled. It was then that I noticed the cabin filled with people, all sitting on the ground and talking to half-grown plants. The beds had somehow been propped up, leaving ample space. There was dirt, seeds, and fertilizer everywhere. The girl I had seen watering the tree last night was sobbing as her bean sprout refused to grow under her command, and others were equally frustrated. Katie swiped a hand through her hair. "It's not going too well," she admitted, looking mournfully at the scene before her. "Even if they grow, they end up shrinking back after a few minutes."

I decided to try too. It would be a test to my knew earth powers (man, that sounded so lame), and I could try to help. I sat down next to an empty pot and sprinkled in a few seeds. Then, I grabbed a nearby watering can and watered the space, lifting my fingers, trying to get the plant to sprout.

A tiny green leaf popped out from under the dirt, getting larger and larger with each second. Then it stopped, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't budge another inch.

"See?" sighed Katie. "We don't get it. This has never happened before."

I knew why, and I felt terrible for keeping the information away from Katie. But somehow I knew that if I told her, she would want to come along…and she wasn't the right one. The prophecy didn't mean for Katie to be part of the quest—her job was taking care of the cabin, she was needed at camp.

"I'm sure you'll find a solution." I meant it. If anyone could find a way to make the plants return, it would be Katie. She didn't realize it, but she was the Demeter cabin's pillar of support, and people looked up to her. She would definitely find a way.

Travis slung an arm around her shoulder. "Lighten up, Katie! May's right. You've been here forever, and you're the best gardener I've ever seen. I haven't seen many, but I'm sure I'm right."

Katie laughed. "Wow, Stoll, impressive use of language. But you have a point. We can't sulk around—there has to be another option, and I'm going to find it."

They looked so nice together, I felt a bit like a third wheel. So without them noticing, I slunk out of the cabin and hurried down to the Big House. I needed to talk to Chiron about Auxo.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow...it's been a while, right? But this is a nice, SUPER long chapter, with some SUPER AWESOME parts :)<strong>

**I was without internet for 2 weeks, and I almost died. This goes to show how much I'm totally addicted to it...which is a bad thing.**

**How long can YOU last?**

**R&R for an awesome next chapter :)  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**...Long time no see. Enjoy!**

**And review, of course. :)  
><strong>

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>: In which opening a door could potentially kill you.

Chiron was not a happy camper when I told him the news. He nodded like he knew it all along, but frowned as if his worst fears had been confirmed. The white tail swished back and forth in nervousness as he paced around the room, looking grim.

I fidgeted. I could tell he was in a serious thinking position.

"There's no helping it," he said finally. "Although you have not received any training, lack the reflexes necessary due to your repressed ADHD, and have barely practiced with your weapon, you will have to go as soon as possible."

I winced. I sounded really weak.

"As you suggested, Nico shall accompany you to China. I trust you have the knowledge and language skills that can, ah, keep you alive in that country." He took two satchels off the wall hooks that looked like sewed up potato sacks. He handed me one, and told me to give the other to Nico. I peeked inside, and saw some golden coins the size of election buttons, some ambrosia and nectar, a wad of cash, and a whistle.

"Thanks," I said, throwing it over my shoulder. I wasn't too sure what the whistle was for, but from the looks of it, it was important.

He nodded. "Send an Iris-message if trouble occurs. We shall do our best to help. Now run along and send your regards. You may be gone for a while." Chiron looked up at the sky outside, that was as bright and blue as ever. "Summer should start in two weeks," he murmured. "Time is running short. There are too many unknown things in this quest…"

"I know sir," I said quietly. "But if Auxo is missing for too long, the Gates won't hold up. Her sisters will have increased burdens on their shoulders, and crops will fail. I can do this. I _have_ to do this."

I sounded more confident than I felt. My knees were knocking together so hard I was sure I was going to have bruises.

Chiron smiled at me and patted my shoulder. "That is the spirit of a true Greek warrior. May, I hope you can succeed in your quest."

I bowed. "Thanks again."

* * *

><p>Lars was sad to see me leave. "I want to go with you!" he bleated, looking forlorn and so much like a dejected puppy that I was about to say yes.<p>

"Lars, you know you can't go. I don't need to tell you that the prophecy isn't talking about you. It's just a hunch, but you feel it too, right?"

He pouted and scuffed his hooves on the ground. "Man, I know…but seriously May. You're with one of the most dangerous kids in camp. I don't feel right leaving you guys alone…"

"It'll be okay," I reassured him. I couldn't have Lars worrying on my behalf.

"Chillaxing is so hard for me right now. Here, take this, it'll take a load of worry off my shoulders." He passed me a tiny discus.

"Thanks Lars. I'll keep it safe."

"You don't even know what it does, do you?"

"…Not really."

"This baby gives you one free trip to any place of your choosing. It can't do the magic barrier places, like Olympus, but if it's mortal, it can send you there. Use it in case of emergencies, alright?"

"I will," I promised, taking the tiny disc from him and stuffing it the potato bag.

He nodded, almost getting a bit teary. "Aw man, my baby's growing up."

* * *

><p>Nico had a brilliant (stupid) idea that he should come along as my mother's cousin's son thrice removed. I didn't care what he was as long as people didn't pickpocket him.<p>

"You'd better watch out," I said. "They can steal anything. Put your bags in front, because the back is an easy target."

He had decided out method of travel would be through the Janus cabin. "They're the doorkeepers," he explained. "As soon as they manipulate space, the one door they draw will lead you to your destination. They only failed once, so it's a pretty good success rate."

I made the mistake of asking what happened when they failed.

"You can die," he said simply.

I knew we should've traveled by plane.

* * *

><p>The Janus kids liked their doors. The cabin had so many, I wasn't even sure which one was the entrance. I was sorely tempted to open them, just to see what was behind them.<p>

"It's this one," pointed out Nico.

There was a dark green door with a small "Welcome" mat put outside it. I dusted off my sneakers and rang the doorbell.

It took a while, but eventually someone answered it. His eyes opened in surprise. "Well, this is surprising," he said stiffly. "What would you like for me to help you with?"

"We have to go to China for a quest," I answered. "And we need your help."

The guy rolled his eyes. His chin was slightly tilted up, like he was thought to be superior to us.

"My help?" he scoffed. "Well. That is certainly a spectacle, let me tell you. I normally don't bother with such things—"

His voice changed from haughtiness to a casual, lighthearted tone. A wide smile spread across his face, like he couldn't have been happier. "But I would be simply DEE-LIGHTED under this circumstance to help you folks! Come right on in, try not to touch too much stuff! We have a lot of doors, you know. Well, my father _is _Janus after all, so I suppose it's appropriate. And you need my help? Oh, I just feel so giddy when I think about helping others!" He kept chatting as he led us down corridors, up stairs, and through entranceways.

I glanced at Nico. 'Does this happen often?' I mouthed. He nodded. 'Janus kids have two personalities,' he mouthed back.

Oh. That would explain the change in tone.

* * *

><p>"And right here," said the guy brightly, "Is the door creation room! Ta-dahhhh—" A sudden frown graced his features. "Why I'm attempting to help you is beyond me, you understand? I'll draw the door and give you advice, but that's it. Don't be expecting much more from me."<p>

I nodded. "Thanks for your help so far. You've been great."

He pursed his lips. "Very well." Extending an arm, he stuck his hand through the air, and ripped it apart.

No really. He ripped apart the air. It was like there was a hidden door behind the space, and he had revealed it—a swirling mass of a kaleidoscope of colors. Looking at it made me dizzy.

"You'll enter through here," he said briskly. "And don't, under any circumstances, open any of the doors on the sides. Some things are hidden for a reason. I say, keep walking—"

"—And at the end of the hallway, you'll find the best door ever! It will absolutely positively lead you to China! Beijing to be exact, right? Well, I don't really know many streets and stuff, but I can at least pinpoint your location so you won't be floating in midair." He paused and wagged a finger. "Because that would be a big, problem if you guys fell—"

"—Which you will not, because I am the best at this sort of thing. So hurry up. Send an Iris message for transport back. I can only do long distance back and forth, can't transport you to places I don't know of, especially if you're out of my range. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Nico, already stepping into the other dimension. "Just shut your trap."

"Excuse him," I said. "He's being difficult. Thanks for your help…?"

His face was happy again. "George is great! Call me George, and I'll be as chipper as a penny in pocket!"

"Alright," I laughed. "Thanks George. Hope to see you soon too."

"I suppose. With any luck, you won't die—and remember kiddos! Don't touch any doors!"

The moment I stepped through the portal, I wanted to touch the doors. Each one was different, kind of like the cabins at camp. I saw one shaped like the door of my house, and even got as far as reaching toward it before Nico grabbed my arm. "Remember when things go wrong?" he said, dragging me along without sparing the doors a second glance. "You die. Well, actually, you just get sucked into unknown dimensions, and are lost forever. So don't touch anything, got it?"

"Fine, fine," I grumbled. But I could see where the temptation would lie. It was like having presents put right in front of you, but you couldn't unwrap them to find what was inside. I saw Nico shift his eyes to one or two doors, but he kept going.

The path seemed endless. "When are we going to get there?" Nico yelled in aggravation. "I know it's on the other side of the world, but really?"

"Would you like some cheese with that whine? Come on. Big campers can walk a few miles without passing out."

"I'm not whining," he pouted, sticking his hands in his black skinny jeans (which he could totally pull off. Not many people could do it, but Nico rocked the look. Telling him would only inflate his ego more though, so I kept my mouth shut.)

"You're not whining, huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "Impossible."

"No, really!" he insisted, hitching up the potato-bag. "I am fully responsible and aware of my weaknesses. And whining is not one of them."

Weakness. That's right. The prophecy had mentioned something about a fatal flaw. I knew of some: Hubris, Anger, Naivety…

I had the eerie feeling mine would be revealed to me soon. Maybe, if I just opened a door…

"Gods! Don't do that!" Nico snapped, slapping my hand away from a doorhandle. I blinked. What was I thinking? "These doors hold the power of persuasion, they entice you. Don't give in, got it?"

"Inanimate objects can persuade you. Don't touch anything. Got it."

"Good. I swear, if I wasn't here, you'd probably be in some desolate area of Mars right now or something."

I grumbled something about know-it-alls, and then the rainbow dimension shook.

The doors began falling and tipping over, splintering and snapping into pieces. The colors started whirling eerily fast, almost like a hallucination. I was getting very nauseous. "What's going on?" I yelled.

Nico looked alarmed. "The tunnel's falling apart. We've got to make a run for it, or we'll be stuck here forever!"

That was not a happy thought. We started sprinting as the hallway began collapsing behind us. I sneaked a look back, and saw a pit of darkness. I decided not to look back after that.

My breath was catching in my throat, making it painful to breathe with each lungful of air. Nico looked fine, like he was used to running away from collapsing tunnels that would suck him down into their murky depths. But as quickly as we ran, the darkness got faster, until it was almost at my heels.

"Where is the door?" I panted, growing impatient.

"I really have no idea, we should've gotten there by now," Nico answered, his breath getting shallow as well.

Let me tell you—there is nothing scarier than having a black hole chasing you down a rainbow hallway with no way to escape. The worst part was, there were doors everywhere…except they could lock you up in a dimension forever. So ironic.

Then, I saw salvation. An oriental door that was at the end of the corridor, that could only lead to Beijing, China. "There it is!" I yelled excitedly, all weariness forgotten.

"Finally," grumbled Nico. "I was getting sick of running."

With a running leap and bound, I grabbed the handle and pulled.

It was locked.

I yanked harder, even propping my foot against it. "It's not budging," I said through gritted teeth.

Nico grabbed the handle too. "You're too weak! Let me do it."

It still didn't move.

"Will you hurry up?" I yelled hysterically. The black hole was catching up, and it was not looking any prettier. Nico struggled, but the door was stuck. "I'm going to die," I whispered to myself. "I'm going to die." Then, as an added afterthought, "Hey, gods and goddesses up there, if you want to save Olympus, help us open this stinking door! Please."

Nothing happened. There were only a few entrances left standing, and the one that led to China was still stubbornly closed. "You know what? Forget this," I hissed. "I'll bust this open with my ninja abilities!"

…Is what I wanted to say. But I just ended up screaming.

* * *

><p>"You're not helping!" yelled Nico, sweat beading on his forehead.<p>

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" I said frantically. "I have no upper-body strength or anything!"

"No kidding."

"We're going to die! Holy Hera we're going to die!"

We were so dead. Dead to the max.

"Open, please," I pleaded in a last ditch attempt. "Please, please, please…"

"Well finally," a voice grumbled. "I was getting tired of waiting for you to ask. Really now, how would you guys liked it if people just tried to yank you open? Really. No chivalry or respect whatsoever."

The door was talking to me.

Nico's face resembled a smashed pumpkin. He was so surprised his eyes were as big as golf balls.

"You need to escape from the darkness, do you not? Well, come in. Hurry up now, or you'll be destroyed," huffed the door. There was the click of a lock unlatching, and the Beijing door swung open.

"Thank you," I said in awe, stepping through the threshold. How often do you get to meet talking inanimate objects?

"Yeah," echoed Nico. "You're awesome. Sorry for uh…violating your personal space."

"Mhm. You youngsters are forgiven. Run along now."

It closed shut, leaving us on a street with Asian people on bikes and taxis disobeying every traffic law known to man. The air was terrible, muggy and damp, and there was litter everywhere on the streets. Buildings stretched upwards, touching the cloudy sky while kids leaving school chattered to their friends.

I grinned. "Welcome to Beijing."

* * *

><p><strong>SURPRISEEE didn't see that door thing coming, did you? HA<strong>

**The creative genius is a wonderful thing. **

******PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check my profile for a new idea I've been generating :)**

**R&R for an awesome next chapter :)  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**HAHA NO SPOILERS FOR YOU THIS TIME!**

**:D Oh, how evil I am.**

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: <strong>In which I bow down to a wanna-be princess.

Beijing was so hot I could feel my skin slipping off. The air was warm, and the sun beat down so harshly that I seriously craved my Auntie's air-conditioned house.

"It's so hot," groaned Nico as we walked with a crowd of people down an unknown street. "Is there seriously no AC here? Can I buy a popsicle? Why is everyone here Asian?"

"The more you talk, the more saliva you use and the thirstier you get. So…be quiet."

He refused to listen to my advice, and continued complaining. "Why did I wear black? Why didn't you tell me not to wear black?"

"You only _have_ black in your wardrobe, smart one. Not like you had a choice. But seriously, you've got to keep quiet. People will mug you if they find out you're from America." Miraculously, Nico clamped his mouth shut. Mugging was obviously a fear.

I looked around, hoping to find a familiar landmark that I could use to get nearer to my Auntie. Beijing was huge, full of an intricate weaving of streets and buildings. I prayed that George had at least settled us somewhere near to our destination.

"Hey," said Nico, managing to display a serious lack of self control when it came to talking, "Can we just take a little break? We've been wandering around for an hour already. Not to mention we were chased by a black hole, and I'm really tired."

I looked at him, and his eyes suddenly got wider and almost a bit teary. He jutted out his bottom lip, and made the most adorable pouty face I had ever seen. My resolve started to crumble very quickly. "Please?"

I sighed. "If we must…"

We walked maybe another few minutes or so till I found a place that didn't look too shady. It was relatively high-class hotel. I pushed open the doors, and was met with the most welcome gust of cool, breathable air.

"Salvation," Nico said happily, lounging on a nearby chair. I frowned. "We're only stopping for a short time, then we have to get a move on. I've got to get to Auntie's place."

"You don't even know where we are," he grumbled.

I stayed silent. It was true…and I had no way to exchange the dollars in my potato sack for some Chinese currency either. All in all, we were in a pretty bad situation. I looked at the disk in my pocket that Lars had given me. I could use it now if I wanted to, but it wasn't really an extreme emergency. I was pretty sure Lars had meant a sure life-or-death moment, and we weren't in any real danger at the time, which was a relief.

It seemed like the only way to get out of this was to ask for some directions, but if I did that it was like admitting that I didn't know the city like the back of my hand.

I swallowed my pride and walked over to the lady at the counter. "Stay here," I told Nico. He shrugged. "Whatevs. Take your time."

I rolled my eyes, then put on a smiling face for the young woman at the reception desk. "Hello. Would you please tell me about how far we are from the Bird's Nest?" I asked in Chinese.

"Not too far," she answered, seeming to think for a second. "I would say around two or three hours drive? Are you part of a tour group?"

"Oh, um, no. But we would like to visit the monument," I said, lying through my teeth. Auntie lived extremely close to the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, the so-called "Bird's Nest" for its unique shape. I was sure if we got to the landmark we could catch a taxi and get to her house in no time. But we were two hours away right now, and there was no way any cab driver would be willing to take us.

"You children look very young to be traveling by yourselves."

"No, no," I laughed. "Not really."

We're just demigods with supernatural powers trying to save the world from destruction. No biggie.

"Well, if you would like, we're offering a tour of Beijing right now. One of the places the group will be visiting is the Bird's Nest, it's the third stop. Along the way, we offer you food and lodging during the travel time. It's free—"

My ears perked up.

"If you pay for a week's stay at our hotel."

Actually, that didn't sound too bad. I didn't mind spending a week or so here. It could get Nico used to the culture, and it had awesome AC. The rooms and atmosphere looked nice too—it would be a comfortable break from all the running around we were doing. "One moment, I've got to ask my comrade what he thinks."

"Alright," she said sweetly, bowing halfway.

I was determined to convince Nico.

It turned out I didn't need to do much convincing. He was overjoyed. "You serious? Cool!"

"It's kind of expensive though, so we have to pool our money together."

"As if. Watch this." Nico went up the desk and smiled at the woman. "Hi," he said in English, then snapped once in front of her face. A ripple seemed to emanate from his fingers, pulsing through the air with the sense of something magical. The lady blinked a few times. She looked really confused.

"We're Nico and May. We don't have to pay, right? Because your boss said that you must respect the customers that are actually Prince and Princess of the Netherlands. We will raise your hotel's business, remember?"

I spluttered. "What are you doing! She can't understand you! And the Prince and Princess of the Netherlands? Are you crazy?"

"I'm just manipulating the Mist and hoping it works."

The lady smiled slowly, a dreamy look coming over her eyes. "Why yes," she said in Mandarin. "Of course. Sorry I forgot. Please enjoy your stay, the tour will begin a week from now. Here are your room keys." She took two cards from a nearby shelf and handed them to Nico. "Thank you for your business."

I was in shock. How did he do that? And how did the lady even understand what he was saying?

"What did you do?" I hissed as we climbed up the stairs to our room.

Nico shrugged, flashing the room keys in front of my face. "Well…nothing much."

I stopped on the staircase and glowered at him. "I'm not moving until you tell me."

He shrugged again. "Okay." And proceeded to leave me on the stairs.

Wow. Jerk.

Realizing I had lost, I sighed and followed him. "Could you please tell me?"

Nico smirked, like he had been waiting for me to ask him nicely. "I just changed the Mist in front of her eyes for, eh, about a week or so. I've gotten pretty good at it, you know? The Mist allows us to change people's perceptions on things, and pretty much blend in like no other. I didn't really know if she would be able to understand me, but it worked out well."

"Can I do it too?"

"Sure, with practice. But I'm the master of this shindig, so don't go thinking you can pull the wool over my eyes with anything."

"That wasn't the intention."

"Wang, you can't fool me. I'm the boss."

I laughed. "Okay, okay. You're the boss."

We arrived at the room, which had large oak doors and a simple slot for the card keys. Nico inserted one and pushed the entrance open.

I was met with some pretty sweet surroundings. You know, giant bathroom, two huge queen beds, a nice TV, and a mini-fridge that reminded me of Auntie Phan. The walls were painted a nice cream color, and we had a pretty good view of the city. What I was not expecting was a clearly-not-Asian girl peeking her head out from a corner, watching us with disdainful eyes.

"Well," she snorted in a British accent. "What are you commoners doing here? I won't sign any autographs for you. Leave quickly, and I won't have to call my guards."

The girl looked about our age. She was tall, with long, straight platinum blonde hair. Her eyes glinted steely gray, and her arms were crossed over her chest in a posture of extreme arrogance. I decided I didn't like her.

"We no speaka Engrish," said Nico. I punched him.

"He's lying. Hi, I'm May, and he's Nico. Sorry, but I think this is our room."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Hmph. Judging by your accent, you must be _American_. But what ever could make you think that this place is _your_ room? This is Suite 201. This is reserved for only people of true royal blood, like me, who are here to relax from the worries of royalty. So leave you little penny-pinchers, I cannot bear the thought of looking at you."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Nico walked over and snapped his fingers in front of her. I felt the Mist shifting and warping, changing us to what he wanted us to be. "Listen up, Miss Pampered Princess. I'm Nico, Prince of the Netherlands. I triumph over any puny country that you might be from, for my words are the extreme power of the universe. So _you_ better pack your bags and move to the room down the hallway or something, because there is no way we are giving this place up."

I expected her to drool at his feet and leave, singing our praises for a week. But instead, she stubbornly stood her ground and lifted her head up. "Pardon. What did you say? Prince of the Netherlands? Balderdash. I know the Prince, and he is definitely not some dark grunge boy. Scurry off, you imposter, before I really call my guards."

Nico ground his teeth and clenched his fists. I was half hoping that he would knock her out. "Dark grunge boy?"

Injury from insults could come later. There was a bigger issue at hand. "Your Mist thing didn't work," I said. Great. We were stuck with some high-end princess who was in our room, and would not leave because Nico's trick-you powers had totally backfired.

"I don't know why! It's supposed to work on mortals," he whispered back.

The girl tapped her foot impatiently. "Well? Are you going to go, or will I have to force you to?"

"I really don't like this girl. Whatevs, let's just get a better room. If she doesn't want to believe that we're royalty, then fine…she's just going to lose a lot of diplomatic recognition," said Nico, turning on his heel after sending her a glare.

"But you aren't royalty, you little commoners!" the girl hissed, stomping a heeled foot on the ground.

"And you are? I haven't met a Princess as bratty as you."

"I'm not a Princess." Her eyes turned malicious. "I'm the biggest pop star to ever come to England, and just happen to have royal blood. My name is Wisteria Woods."

I looked at Nico. "Nope. Never even heard of you," we said simultaneously.

That was the last straw for her, and she began ordering her guards to pummel us into squashes.

"I hate your songs!" I yelled as I slammed the door behind me. I hadn't even listened to any of them, but it seemed like a pretty good insult. I heard her outraged scream echo through the room—"Penny Pinchers!"

I did not expect her to fling the door open and follow us out into the hallway.

"We should probably make a run for it," Nico suggested. "She's looking pretty monsterish by the minute."

"I will ruin you," Wisteria snarled. "You guys are so dead meat! As soon as I get off the tour and back in England, I will take the personal liberty of turning you peasants into unfortunate mugwumps!"

Something did not sit right with that sentence. Ah, that was it. "You're going on the tour?"

Her eyes narrowed, flashing like thunderstorms in the sky. "And what is it to you?"

"Nothing. We just hate the look of your face. Wondering if we should, you know, bring mirrored sunglasses so we can reflect your Medusa looks," said Nico casually. The girl looked stunned. "Medusa?"

That look on her face was not a good sign.

"Great," I said. "Now she's on to us. You're a genius, you know that?"

"She doesn't know! Just a mention of a Greek monster won't kill me."

Wisteria glanced at the floor, like she was thinking really hard. I supposed it must have hurt her head, since her eyebrows were scrunched together so tightly she could probably hold a burrito in between them. "Medusa. She's a Greek monster, head full of snakes, created by Athena for revenge against Poseidon. Her very look can turn people to stone…"

That was impressive knowledge for a spoiled pop star.

"I told you! You're going to blow our cover!" I whispered, indiscreetly jabbing Nico in the arm with my elbow.

"You're too bony," he muttered, rubbing the spot. "Besides, she's normal. And doesn't seem too smart. Whatever, let's just get our room, okay?"

Wisteria seemed to ignore us, instead closing the door to Suite 201 quietly behind her. "Why would you mention Medusa at a time like this?" she wondered out loud. I looked at Nico.

Totally BUSTED.

"It's way too much of a coincidence," she muttered, playing with a silver ring on her finger. "They come, and then you come with some knowledge, things are happening, not normal…If they're going after me, and you suddenly find me…"

She stood stock still, gray eyes pondering what seemed to be her next move.

"Let's leave, May," said Nico quietly. "We royal people need to get our rooms." I knew what he was really trying to say though. _This girl is trouble. Let's get away before we get involved._

"Wait. You peasants aren't going anywhere until I get the answers I want."

"Oho. Bossing us around now, are you? Well, we have no obligations, and no legal ties to your country, so boo on you. Come on, May, let's move it."

Wisteria took a breath and spoke. "Tell me why weird things are following me and trying to end my life. Tell me why they all seem to be Greek monsters. And tell me why you guys claim to be royalty of the Netherlands, when you clearly know it's not true, and you expected me to believe it. That story is so far-fetched, only an _idiot_ would believe it. Not to mention, you say a Greek monster's name during all this," she waved her hands for emphasis, "Stuff. The probability margins are too slim. There is a link between all these events, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you know what it is. So open up your mouths and talk, fools, before I get my guards to help you."

She was way smarter than I gave her credit for. Nico seemed to realize something dreadful, because his face instantly turned the color of baby milk formula. Wisteria stood there impatiently, waiting for an answer.

Slowly, Nico reached into his pocket and drew out a pocket computer, typing things in rapidly. I leaned over and saw him look up the location of Beijing, then the location of our hotel, and then more specifically, the hallway we were standing in. Three dots represented our locations.

All of them were red.

"She's a demigod," breathed Nico. "Things are going to go downhill."

* * *

><p><strong>Just letting you know ahead of time...I don't really know if the Netherlands have royalty or not. So...don't be upset if the facts aren't accurate.<br>**

**Love Wisteria, hate Wisteria...opinions? LOL I love her, she's a total RIOT. :D**

**R&R :)  
><strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Kudos to those who catch the math reference.**

**It's been a while, I know, I know. But I'M NOT DEAD.  
><strong>

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13:<strong> In which we eat some sandwiches from the dead.

"I knew it," breathed Wisteria, clutching the edges of her couch. "I knew there was something different about me! So, tell me—what powers do I have? Who am I? Do I get to go to camp too?"

Nico looked like he was going to go crazy. "Make her shut up!" he yelled.

"You shut up, peasant. The real question is if I am the most powerful one of you guys. Am I? I should be, yes…I am better known. I am better looking, I can sing better—"

"—Sorry to say this, don't mean to be rude, but just because you have a bit of talent does not mean that the monsters will take pity on you. They will crunch you into a million pieces, then eat you, regardless of whose child you are," I said, absentmindedly making her plants grow higher then smaller. She watched the flower get larger and bloom, then shrink all the way back into a seed.

"You must be a daughter of Demeter. The cereal woman."

I frowned.

"Whoa there. You'd better not say anything bad about any of the gods or goddesses. They all have to power to burn you into a crisp," I said, growing more annoyed with Wisteria by the minute. I didn't say that I was even madder at her for making fun of my Mom, even though I had never seen her before.

"Whatever, penny pincher."

"Nico, let's just leave. We still have to get our rooms…we don't have time to hang around with people who think this is all a game," I said angrily, getting up. She had no idea the stuff we were getting ourselves into. I was putting my life on the line.

Nico seemed to feel the same, giving her a harsh look. "I agree. Let's get a different room, one that doesn't have princess brats hanging around."

We were right at the door when Wisteria stopped us, eyes furrowed. "Wait. You're not taking me with you?"

"That's not our responsibility," I explained happily. "Maybe someday, a satyr will come and pick you up. But until then, we don't have the authority to do anything with you. So toodles! Hope you survive!"

And with that, Nico and I left with a cheery smile and wave, then ran downstairs for some new room keys.

Preferably for some rooms that didn't already have inhabitants.

* * *

><p>"No wait. What? Seriously? You have got to be kidding me!"<p>

"Nico…" said Chiron sternly. "You have to do this."

"She's crazy! All she does is insult us—she's a stinking know it all! She's survived so far, right? Just leave her! She won't die…probably."

We were conversing with Chiron through Iris Message in our new room. It wasn't as nice as Wisteria's, but at least it had two beds. The little spray bottle in Nico's potato-sack and the streaming light from the nearby lamps was enough to make a tiny rainbow.

Chiron had been ecstatic that we had found another camper. We were not ecstatic about bringing her along the mission with us.

"Chiron, just send a satyr over through the Janus dorm! That demigod—Wisteria—she's new, hasn't gone through a _lick_ of training, and she's bossy!" Nico yelled, still arguing.

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "You would jeopardize her life because you don't like her?"

Nico spluttered a bit, then looked ashamed. I felt a little bad too…but I really wouldn't mind if she got eaten by monsters.

Ok, maybe I would mind a little…but that was it.

"It's safest when she's with you," Chiron continued, smiling at our dejected expressions. "We cannot waste even an iota of time for her—she knows too much to be ignored by _di immortales. _You understand the urgency. Nico, you need to take care of them. You have seniority, and more experience. We're counting on you to fulfill this quest with May."

Nico groaned. "Do you really have to guilt trip me?"

Chiron laughed. "I'm afraid I must. The signal's breaking up, we've overused the system a bit much. I'll see you soon, and good luck."

"Bye," Nico grumbled, still upset. The rainbow faded, and we were left alone in the room again.

"Great," he said, throwing his arms up in the air. "Now we have to drag her along! She's probably going to think that we changed our minds because she's _so_ awesome and her ego will be inflated even more. If I take another minute with that…thing, I might explode."

"Sorry man," I answered, hitching the potato sack on my shoulders. "Might as well get it over with."

"You're paying for my hospital bills," he grumbled, getting off the bed and following me out the door.

* * *

><p>We ended up in front of her door again. We played rock paper scissors, and I lost, so I ended up knocking. Wisteria opened the door.<p>

Her eyes grew wide, and she crossed her arms. Then, like Nico and I predicted, a smug smile grew on her face. "I knew it. Come back, right? Realized that I'm perfect for the team?"

"Totally," I said sarcastically.

"Don't use that tone with me," she sniffed, tossing her pin-straight hair over her shoulder.

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. "We're not gonna treat you any different, got that? Just know that when more monsters come, your big muscle men are going to be as effective as tissue paper. Just letting you know."

Nico handed her an amulet. "Break this when you need our help, and we'll show up whether we want it or not."

She looked at the jewelry apprehensively. "This is a bit tacky—"

We shut the door in her face.

* * *

><p>Turns out, Nico didn't enjoy the fish stomachs we had as a side dish during dinner. He insisted on ordering them ("it'll be just like survival in he wild!") even when I specifically explained that they were raw and he was a foreigner, likely to throw up if he ate them.<p>

So now he was barfing up his guts in our hotel room.

"What did I tell you?" I sighed, looking through the tour book we had picked up along the way. First stop was some little shopping town for souvenirs, and then the airport for those who had to leave, and finally the Birds Nest. The entire trip would take about three days. I debated on asking Nico to use his phone to see if I could warn Auntie that we might be a bit late, but decided it was way too risky given the circumstances.

Nico finally emerged from the bathroom, face no longer a sickly green. He looked at me. "I'm hungry."

"Who told you not to eat the fish stomachs?" I teased, keeping my eyes on the book.

"You did," he grumbled. "Stop rubbing it in…"

Then his face lit up. "Hey, hey. Let's get some American food."

"Should we bring Princess along with us?"

His face darkened again. "No."

I didn't want to play devil's advocate, but I knew Chiron was counting on us. "Come on. We can't leave her alone like this, right? She might get attacked."

"She has the dumb and tacky amulet. She'll be fine."

"Nico…" I said with my warning voice.

He scowled and started heading for the door. "Fine, fine, she comes with us. But she's paying for her own food, got it?"

I grinned. "I knew you were good on the inside."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Now let's fetch her, I'm dying for some sandwiches."

* * *

><p>A block or two away from the hotel was a sandwich place called Diffy Q. According to the owner, a man with a scruffy beard, a New Yorker had started the business as a means of bringing delicious sandwiches to China. Since all the fast food chains had migrated over, he figured he could attract tons of foreigners in the area, and he was right. But at 9:30 pm, there was hardly anyone. Once the owner heard we were from New York ("I'm from Britain, which is <em>so<em> much better" Wisteria had sniffed) we were given discounts.

"Okay," he said in a clearly southern accent. "I'm jus' gunna grab yonder some drinks from the back. Coke's okay?"

We nodded, Wisteria for once not disagreeing.

The moment he left, Nico dumped all the drachamas out of our bags. Wisteria poked at them tentatively. "Is this real gold?"

"What else would the gods use then?" bit out Nico.

"Why are we dumping money on the table?" I hissed, quickly restuffing them back in the bags.

"Stop stop!" whispered Nico. "You didn't really think we were eating here, did you?"

_Um, yes, actually._

"Well, if we're not eating here, then why are we in this dingy little sandwich bar?" yelled Wisteria.

Nico's ears were growing red from the frustration. "Shutup! Both of you! Follow me and shut your traps."

I obediently listened to him and shut my trap. An angry Nico was not a kid you wanted to mess with.

"Follow me to the back."

I glanced at the chopping board, and then averted my eyes. It wasn't too pretty. The salad looked droopy and wilted, the meat might have had mold on it; I wasn't too sure. But I was sure that the bread had probably been hosting fungus for years…and I'm not talking about blue cheese.

It was really gross.

"How do they make money with these atrocious conditions?" whispered Wisteria, voicing my thoughts.

Nico avoided answering her, and opened a door labeled "Employees Only". The smell of dirt and musty air filled my nostrils.

It was an underground tunnel.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" asked Nico, gesturing toward the hole of doom. "Ladies first."

"You better go first then," I replied. That pit of darkness was not giving off good vibes, and there were probably bugs and spider webs and other things I'd rather not mention.

And worst of all: It might be cold there…and I didn't have a sweater.

Wisteria peered down the tunnel, noticing the stairs leading into it. "Aha!" she said loudly. "I understand now…this is where the commoners live! This is the passage to your house, right?"

Nico looked like he wanted to punch her in the face. "Very funny," he growled, shoving both of us into the doorway. "Now get moving, I'm hungry."

"There's food down here?" I asked.

He gave me a look that clearly said "duh". "No duh, May. Why else would I take you guys here? You didn't really think Diffy Q makes money off mortal people, do you?"

A fast food chain for demigods. I should have known.

The stairs seemed never-ending, but I knew there was a final destination. I could smell it.

No really, the smell of warm sandwiches was great.

Finally, we arrived in what looked like a busy pub, and we took a seat in dark chairs. I could see a flickering neon sign that said "Diffy Q: sandwiches from the dead".

A skeleton took our order (no surprise there), and Wisteria turned as white as a sheet. I watched her lips form indescribable words, grey eyes flickering to the similar skeleton waiters taking notes.

He clacked his teeth in greeting. Nico wanted an Italian sub with everything on it except for pickles. I ordered a BLT. Wisteria was too scared to order anything by herself, so we got her a BLT too.

The place was packed…but I didn't see anyone from camp. Nico seemed to be taking great pleasure into freaking out Wisteria. "He says he was born 500 years ago! Isn't that interesting? And then his flesh deteriorated and now he's working for the Diffy Q chain! Wonderful, right Wisteria?"

"…Uh huh…" she whispered, clenching the edge of her seat tightly.

"And you know what else?" he said brightly, too happy for my liking. "After we eat, we can go to the Underworld! It's just a few clicks to the left, down 100 staircases, another left, a leap across a pit of spikes, and then we're there!"

If he had said another word, Wisteria might have fainted.

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><p><strong>If you know the math reference, say so in your review! Be specific :)<strong>

** No cheating! (like google)**

**Try relying on what you know?**

**Hope it was a good chapter!  
><strong>

**R&R :)  
><strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**BWAHAHA the plot thickens!**

**FYI: two chapters in one, since the first is too short to stand alone. So, it should be worth the wait!  
><strong>

**It's been a while, I know, I know. But I'M NOT DEAD.  
><strong>

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>: In which my sister is Nico's stepmother.

"I was joking about the pit of spikes, by the way," Nico said as we continued down under. It was really cold. Like extremely cold.

Did I mention I was freezing?

"I realized," I muttered. "Oh, and why are we visiting your dad again? Sorry to burst your bubble, but family reunions while the world is about to die of hunger…not one of your best ideas."

This time, it was him who rolled his eyes. "Remember? Heaven and _under_ to heal the land? Under? Underworld? Ring a bell?"

"What are you two blathering about now?" grumbled Wisteria, wrapping her arms around her body, teeth chattering. "I'm really cold."

* * *

><p>"Yo pops," said Nico, pushing open the door at the end of the tunnel.<p>

It was like the moment that doorway opened, I felt a rush of energy: powerful, deadly, and…surprisingly warm.

A tall man with pale skin and dark hair loomed in a chair of iron, reading a newspaper. He looked up, a frown etched on his face. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

Then he saw us, and got up quickly.

I could sense he wasn't too happy about our visit.

"Who told you to bring your little gang of misfits over here?" he rumbled, taking a step towards us. I felt puny and insignificant. Wisteria looked on defiantly, and Nico just examined his fingernails.

"Listen up," he said, finally facing his father, who by the way, is really intimidating. Like, super duper scary. Imagine a skyscraper on fire. Then imagine it about to fall on you. It's that kind of feeling. "You know why we're here. It's about Auxo."

If possible, Hades's face blanched even whiter. But he pursed his lips, as if he really didn't care. "Olympus's activities and misfortune have nothing to do with me. If one of their Hours goes missing—it's not my fault." He sat back on his chair. "Go home, Nico. I have nothing for you here."

Nico rolled his eyes. He seemed like he was a pro at it. "Do you think we came here for you? Please. I want to talk to Persephone."

"She's on Olympus right now," said Hades icily. "Talk to her there."

"Oh, don't think I'll be going anywhere, pops. You've got something that I need. You know what it is. And I'm pretty sure I can get Persephone to help me get that very special something. You catch my drift?"

"No."

"Ok, fine," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He reached into his potato sack and grabbed the spray bottle and flashlight, quickly making a rainbow and then throwing a drachama into it. "Hey Iris. Mind getting me to Persephone?"

The rainbow mist shimmered and Persephone's face came to view.

She was really pretty, her hair braided with flowers and a kind smile on her face. Then she saw who was calling her, and her smile disappeared, eyes narrowing. "What can I do for you, Nico?" she hissed. She uttered his name like a curse, and the look on her face told me that if she wasn't on Olympus, she would have obliterated him right then and there.

He had the smuggest look on his face, like he was withholding some awesome blackmail material. The funny thing, I wouldn't be surprised if he was.

And then she saw me. If possible, she got even more angry, baring her teeth like an animal. "Another one? Seriously? Too many siblings, mom!"

I could tell she wasn't too fond of my presence.

Nico began talking, superior smile still on his face. "So, I've come to call up a little favor."

"What do you want, _child_?" she snapped. "I've done a whole lot for you already! Who busted you out of that Amazon River? Yours truly. I'm not doing another lick of work for some _brat_."

"Oh, too bad," Nico said, sighing pathetically. "Then I guess I'll just have to tell Daddy-"

Hades's eye twitched slightly.

"-About that thing that you did...you know, the one that involved-"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Persephone said, looking a little desperate. "How long are you going to hold that above my head for?" Under her breath, she muttered, "Manipulative child." Then, she turned to Hades, eyes flaming. "Give the child the Skeleton Key," she hissed, "Or I'll turn you into a pansy!"

"I don't think that's the right tone to strike with me," he rumbled. "And besides, you're keeping something from me. May I ask _what_ exactly don't you want me to find out?"

"It's none of your business," she replied. "But listen to me here. If you don't give him that key," here, her face grew wicked, "I'll be pulling some strings so you don't get another vacation for the next 500 years. Catch my drift?" Then she was distracted by me again, and gave me the evil eye. "You follow Nico's stupid example…and I'll make sure you stand as a weed in the middle of a garbage dump. Understand…_sister_?"

Okay, so scratch that. She hated me.

"Not like I really want to be related to you anyways," I grumbled.

She was about to retort when Nico hurriedly brushed his hands through the mist. Persephone quickly disappeared.

"Ok, you heard her," he said, reaching out a hand. "Now hand over the Key."

"You think, just because you're my son, I'll just hand it over like that?" Hades asked, voice deadly calm. "Nothing comes without a price, Nico. You should know that."

"I don't know what's going on," whispered Wisteria. "I want to go back now…"

"We are not going back!" yelled Nico. "Not until I get my Key!"

"You want the Key?" asked Hades, leaning into his chair. "Well then. I'll have to set you up on a task then, won't I?"

"Just accept it already!" I snapped. "I don't care if we have to do a bit of dirty work to save Auxo."

* * *

><p>When the gods ask you to do dirty work, they really mean it. I'm not just talking about washing the floors or anything, or taking out the garbage, or massaging Hades's feet (which would suck, by the way).<p>

I'm talking about weeding out a garden that's beyond repair.

It looked like a tornado had busted through the place, then the plants were allowed to overgrow, someone forgot to put in weed killer, it had been an arena for a gladiator cat fight, and then someone attacked the place with a chainsaw.

It wasn't pretty.

Wisteria's eye was twitching. "Isn't this supposed to be Persephone's garden? Full of beauty, bursting with life…that kind of stuff?"

Hades's lip curled into a really creepy smile. "Well, it was. But now she's with her mother, and we've gotten rather…tired of keeping it in shape. Unfortunately, some real estate agents are looking at this garden as an extra power source for the Hours on Olympus. And they're willing to expand the Underworld in return, which means more room for the dead. My subjects just won't stop complaining about how crowded it is—their moans of despair are really tiresome to hear at night. But of course, they won't accept it looking like the mess it is now."

"We can't do this in a day!" spluttered Nico, looking outraged.

"Oh my dear boy, I'm sure you'll find a way. Now hurry along now, time's ticking."

He opened the iron gate and we walked in. "Oh," Hades added as an afterthought. "And try not to get eaten by the monsters. That would be lovely. I can't have bones littering the garden, you know? It's not very attractive to prospective lenders."

Okay, great. Monsters _and_ a weeding job bigger than a sumo wrestler's pants.

"You're the daughter of Demeter," pouted Wisteria. "_You _do something."

"If I could, I would," I snapped back. "Why don't you actually do something worthwhile for once in your life and help weed this place too?"

She looked at her fingers tentatively. "But that would ruin my manicure."

Why was I not surprised?

"Chipping a nail, oh boo hoo," hissed Nico. "Grab a shovel and some gloves and get to weeding! If you want to join us, you'd better pull your weight around here."

Grumbling underneath her breath, Wisteria gingerly picked up some dirt covered tools and gloves. I bent down and buried my hands in the crumbling dirt. I could feel the pulse of the breath of the Underworld.

_Save me…life…_

The roots of the plants were weakening, slowly disintegrating under the earth. I felt a rush of sadness come over me. Persephone was supposed to take care of them. She was blessed with much more power than I was…I didn't—couldn't understand why she didn't want to exert even the smallest bit of effort to help her failing garden. I focused my mind on the plants, opening up the dirt for some well deserved water. For those that were almost beyond help, I gave them my own power. Buds unfurled, and the once brown stems flushed a pure green. Leaves, once shriveled, filled with life once more, and suddenly, the garden was looking much brighter.

Nico whistled. "Nice."

"Don't just stand there, you help too," I scolded. "Get some water. You're in charge of watering these plants, got it?"

"But where—"

"_Find some._"

He cringed back a bit.

Probably from fear. I'm very intimidating.

"I'll go get the water."

"Oh lookie here. You're doing peachy by yourself. I don't even need to help," said Wisteria cheerfully.

"Oh, yes you do," I answered back. "Start pulling weeds and crabgrass. I can't do all of this by myself, you know."

A while later, Nico came back with a hose. I raised an eyebrow. "Water's going to come out of that, right?"

He grinned. "Sure thing. I attached it to Pop's sink."

With a twist of his fingers, the nozzle started spraying water. It collected in the holes in the ground. I thrust my hands into the wet soil, and gauged how much was necessary. Almost immediately, I could feel the plants sighing in relief. I looked up, and saw them turning vivid colors of red, orange, and blue. Even the trees began growing their fruit again.

Unfortunately, by watering the plants, we were also watering the weeds. They too were growing stronger, needles erupting out of their stems, crawling tighter over the trees and flowers.

I motioned for Nico to turn off the water. "We'll have to get rid of the weeds first. Toss them away from the garden, in case they decide to take root again. We need to destroy them from the base."

I glanced at Wisteria. "You _do_ know how to do that, right?"

She shrugged her shoulders and stuck her nose in the air. "Of course. I've read tons about weeding gardens."

What a total lie.

I decided, through my large and generous heart, to help her with her job by targeting the weeds' roots. I focused on all the weeds in the general vicinity, and forced the soil around them to loosen. Then, I eradicated the little branches of roots that had stretched out.

"The rest is easy," I said, handing her a nearby bucket to collect weeds in.

She looked at it with extreme distaste.

I moved to another patch of dirt, and dug my hands in again. This one was worse than the last. I started on the dirt first, making it healthier for the plants. Then I sent life through their roots, allowing them to grow again.

Then, I felt something on my hand.

And it definitely wasn't just a root.

I screamed and wrenched out my hand, flinging whatever was on it onto the dirt ground.

We just stared at it.

Nico was the first to break the silence.

"That is one big ant."

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><p><strong>PAUSE! BREAK! Next chapter :)<strong>

**LOL double the reviews? ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15:<strong> In which I suffer from some major bug trauma.

For once, Wisteria and I had something in common as we both shrunk back. The ant was huge and white, probably as big as a good sized dictionary. And it was ten times more ugly than my math homework.

It clicked its pincers together, antennae waving, trying to find us. Green slobber dripped out of its mouth. I had never been more disgusted in my life.

"Kill it," I whispered, voice shaking. "Kill it, kill it…"

Nico shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's just an ant."

Just then, a drop of its green saliva dropped onto the ground and completely corroded the soil, like acid being poured on top of metal.

Nico's face blanched. "I take that back. I'll kill it."

With a single thrust from his dagger, the ant keeled over and turned to dust. "Well," said Nico proudly. "That was easy."

"Um…"

For once, Wisteria wasn't being her bratty self. Instead, her voice was quivering.

"What is it?"

"There…are…more." She pointed to the area around us, where white antennae and legs were erupting out of the dirt. It was like a zombie revival, but worse. Think about it—zombies can't really _hurt_ you that bad. But you know what can? Acidic spit.

Soon enough, there was a giant white ant army in front of us. My skin was tingling. The garden wasn't looking too pretty anymore.

"I know what these are…" said Wisteria quietly, eyes wide in disgust and fear. "These are Myrmekes…huge Indian Ants."

"Great," answered Nico. "And how exactly does that information help us get rid of these guys?"

She gulped. "It doesn't."

"Whatever you do," I said, "Don't touch their spit. You know how it dissolved that soil. They must be the cause of the dead plant roots. And now they're sick of vegetables and want something a little more…filling."

"It's us, isn't it?" whimpered Wisteria.

"You're catching on, Princess."

* * *

><p>"So what do we do?" asked Wisteria, still being her cowardly self. "I don't know how to fight!"<p>

"Simple. We stay still, and they'll go away."

Her eyes grew wide with hope. "That easy?"

Nico snorted. "Are you kidding me? I was joking. We have to do a thorough ant extermination." He raised his hands, and jutted rocks speared a few ants, turning them all into crumbling sand.

The sad thing about ants is that they live in colonies. So a few dead ants were really nothing to the hundreds we were sure to face. The Myrmekes were looking at us with some hungry eyes. They began clicking their pincers together happily. I bet in ant talk, that meant "Hey guys, we're having a fiesta tonight!"

I had a bad feeling we weren't going to be guests or anything.

"On the count of three, we attack. May, I am _not_ running away till I get the Skeleton Key, so don't even think about leaving this job undone."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Wisteria seemed to have gained a bit of her confidence back, for she answered "In case you peasants don't know or anything, these guys are weak against fire."

"Great. Thanks for that other piece of worthless info. Not only don't we have any fire, but no gas or anything," sighed Nico. "We can't just kill them off one by one. And not to mention, the Queen is probably out there somewhere. We need to get rid of her too."

"Is there any way we can create a fire of some sort?" I suggested. "There may be a way I can link these guys up so the flames can burn all of them."

"I dunno how to make a fire," said Nico with no shame whatsoever.

I shrugged. "Me either. Wisteria?"

She sniffed. "You commoners don't even know how to make a fire? Do they teach you nothing in America?"

I scowled. "Cut to the chase."

"I know how to make a fire, dimwits!" she snapped. "So hurry up and use your stupid powers and get these ants together! Round them up, corral style! I'm just going to go get some stuff."

"If you run away and we get eaten by ants, I'll kill you in the Underworld!" yelled Nico as Wisteria ran off.

The Myrmekes were still looking at us hungrily. "Now or never, Nico. I can't round up all of these by myself," I said.

"Gotcha." With a wave of his hands, black walls of rock erupted from the ground, successfully crowding the ants in a dense area. They jumbled around, confused for a moment, before turning their attention back on us. I gulped. They were really quite ugly. I took a calming breath.

Ignore your fear of insects. It's okay. They only spit acidic saliva and are huge. No problem.

I would have to destroy a few plants, but it would be okay in the long run. I unscrewed my chap-stick, and Jingo came out, bronze and shiny. I reached for the satchel of darts, and chose the Virginia Creeper, stuffing it in the pipe.

By now, the ants were growing restless. I swore one of them decided to try its luck and get closer to us, but Nico stabbed it before it reached us. The Myrmekes seemed smart enough to realize they would get killed if they ventured out, but that didn't stop them from forming a plan. Soon, there was a staircase of ants, ready to jump out of their rock prison and devour us.

I was such a positive thinker.

"Hurry up May, now would be a great time," muttered Nico urgently.

I ignored him and focused on closing the right holes. I needed the right trajectory to hit dead center of the ants, and let the vine take it from there.

I placed my fingers on holes 1, 3, 4, and 5. I took a deep breath. Hopefully those clarinet lessons wouldn't be put to waste. I put my lips to the cold metal, shut one eye for better concentration, aimed 45 degrees, and blew.

The seedling dart landed smack dab in the middle of the ant pile. I heard a faint pop, the sign of the pocket opening, and waved my fingers. Vine tendrils whipped out from the middle, wrapping around every ant it could reach, entangling them together in a net of plant leaves. I stretched it even further, making it branch out and get more and more and more. They were threatening to break free, and I couldn't risk turning the plant to metal in case I couldn't turn it back by the time Wisteria came back for the fire.

"I swear," I grunted, "If she left us, we aren't coming the help her when she breaks that amulet."

The ants kept coming. It was taking nearly all of my power to contain the ones we had already caught. Nico was taking care of the strays, but if Wisteria didn't come soon, we were going to lose all of our hard work.

"I'm here, I'm here," she said, panting. She looked like she had just run for miles. But never had I been happier to see her.

"What did you get?" asked Nico curiously.

"Nothing too interesting. Just a few sheets of paper, maybe some flint, but I'm not too sure. Geology was never my strong point. Anyways, I can make a fire out of this for sure."

Paper and rocks. All we needed were some scissors.

"I knew I should have left her behind," groaned Nico. "We're so going to die by weeding a garden."

"Oh shut up, you peasant," yelled Wisteria. "I can do it! Watch."

She placed a sheet of paper between two of the rocks, then harshly slammed them together. There was the faint smell of something burning. Upon closer inspection, the rocks had burnt a small hole in the paper.

"Perfect," she said to herself. "A few more tries…"

The Myrmekes were invading. They were getting stronger, threatening to break the vine bonds, pushing against the rocks. They didn't look too happy about being restrained, and Nico had his hands full with eliminating those that had crawled out already.

"Wisteria Woods! Gods, would you hurry up?" he roared, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I'm going, I'm going!" she yelled in panic, and finally, the paper lit up with a flame dancing around its edges.

She was smart enough to understand my plan, and with no hesitation, ran into the swarm of ants to place she sheet close enough to the vine.

The fire caught on, and then it was my turn.

I closed my eyes, and opened them again.

The world was so clear.

I waved my hands and changed the vines, making them more flammable. The fire traveled on the plant path, burning through the ants like they were made of butter—there were poofs of sand everywhere. And finally, the last one was gone, and we stood in a partially demolished garden with sand whisking into the wind.

"Never again," Nico panted. "I'm never asking my dad for anything, ever."

Wisteria stood up, and I saw how much her legs were shaking, but her voice stayed strong. "We have more weeding to do if we're going to finish this. You need that key, right? May, although you are naught but a potato sack, you are the best at this, so we leave the plant growth up to you. Nico and I will do our best to take out the weeds."

I wasn't the only one that deserved to be praised. I took a breath, and smiled. "You're not too bad yourself, Wisteria."

And to my surprise, she smiled back. "Thank you."

And then, like she had been lit in a spotlight, a silver owl sparkled above her head, lighting up the garden so it was even brighter than before. Confused, she waved her hand over it, and the owl hooted, taking flight and then slowly disappearing into the air.

"That was weird," she grumbled.

"No, it wasn't," answered Nico, grinning. "We just found out your parent."

"Oh, so the owl was my mother's symbol? That's not too difficult," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "So I'm an Athena kid, right? Figures. My mom _is_ quite possibly the best, which would explain my perfection."

I groaned. "Come on. Exciting stuff, I know, but we've got to finish this job…"

"Do I get any cool powers? Can I invent things out of midair?" Wisteria blabbed as we walked to the tool shed. "Will my intellect increase now that I've found out?"

"I want to punch her," Nico growled, crossing his arms.

I laughed. Even though she was still as annoying as she had been before, I liked how she didn't push her conceited attitude further with her parental discovery. And not to mention, without her help, we probably would have been eaten by ants.

That would have sucked.

_The final three shall take a stand…_

I couldn't have asked for a better addition to complement our team.

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><p><strong>Wow, that was weird...sigh, the things that happen in the underworld :)<strong>

**R&R :)  
><strong>


	15. Chapter 15 & 16

**Happy holidays! I'll be away for a while, so here's an early present for you guys :)**

**Hope it's better than the last chapter...I got some comments I agreed with and consequently fixed the errors. But others...let's just say I didn't appreciate some of them. ;)**

**But enough of that! It's a new day, a new chapter :)  
><strong>

**Sigh, Percy's not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: <strong>In which I meet the queen of Ant-ville, and she isn't happy to see me.

Excitement corrodes your brain. I'm sure of it. We finished weeding the garden before Hades came back, and so we celebrated our accomplishment with Diffy Q sandwiches Nico ordered.

But something nagged at me from the back of my head. It kept bothering me, and it just wouldn't go away. It was at the tip of my tongue, and I knew it was something extremely important we were forgetting, but it just wouldn't come.

So I ate my sandwich, trying to remember.

"You look constipated. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for being worried," I shot back at Nico, who was doubling up on the ground.

Wisteria made a face. "Could you commoners please not talk about such matters while eating? It's really destroying my appetite." She took a sip of her coke like she was sipping tea at the royal palace or something.

Nico coughed a bit and took another giant bite of his sandwich. "Ah, you need to chill Princess. You keep getting too caught up in your dumb royal festivities. Let me give it to you straight, ok? _You're not in Kansas anymore._ In case you haven't noticed, we're sitting at the bottom of the Underworld, eating food that skeletons prepared, and we just fought off a horde of ants. So just sit back and enjoy the fact that you're still alive."

Wisteria had turned a sickly shade of green. "Right. Skeletons made my food. You think they were wearing sanitary gloves?"

He pretended to think for a minute. "Nope."

What was I forgetting?

"Hey little miss. Wanna lend me a bite of yer morsels?"

The voice was raspy and nasty.

It was coming from behind me.

I turned around, and saw the flippin' largest ant I had ever seen. It was dark gray, had striped wings and ugly pincers, antennae longer than my torso, and to top it all off, a crown of what looked like dead animal bones.

That's what I forgot.

I let out an attention grabbing cough. "The queen's still alive, guys. And there are probably eggs under here as well." I quickly dropped my food on the ground.

Nico gulped. "Man, we are in some deep trouble."

Wisteria gulped too. "I threw away the flint on the ground. It'll take a while for me to find it."

Yep. We were screwed.

* * *

><p>I was grabbing Jingo as fast as possible. Nico set a barrier of rock around the Queen, but we didn't know how much it would last. Her acidic spit was melting the stone easily.<p>

"Can't you just, you know, use your rock powers and get us some flint?" I yelled, running into Hades' palace to look for some matches.

"No," yelled Nico simply, putting up another wall.

Wisteria just stood there, looking like she was thinking hard. Then she began climbing one of the almost-dead trees, and started clipping the branches off with some shears. The wood crashed on top of the Queen, who roared in anger.

"Yer filthy mortals," she rasped, clicking her pincers together.

"May! May!" Wisteria called out, stopping me from my search. "Haul your buttocks back here."

I obeyed. It sounded like she had a plan. And I was desperate enough for anything. As long as the Queen was there, the garden would keep dying.

"Use the tree roots," Wisteria whispered, "To bind her. Her exoskeleton is too hard to crack, so while you're doing that, I'll find the flint, and we'll burn her and the wood together. You get me?"

I nodded. "Sure thing. Start searching!"

I kneeled (my jeans were in _such_ bad condition), and stuck my hands into the earth. I took a deep breath, and shoved my powers down as far as I could, feeling for the best tree roots. Slowly, they moved upwards, crawling out of the soil. I gauged the Queen's position from the vibrations in the ground, and the roots began binding themselves around her. For extra protection, I turned them to metal, though I doubted it would do much with her acidic spit and all.

"Wisteria, you better hurry," Nico called, looking a little pale. "I'm almost out of energy…man, I am going to KILL my dad when we get out of this. Seriously! You would think he's purposely trying to make me miserable or something."

I shrugged. "He's Hades. Of course he would do that."

Wisteria seemed to throw away her pristine figure for a second and was crawling on the ground on all fours, muttering under her breath about stupid flint and dumb ant hierarchies.

The Queen grunted and gave one spectacular hack. Green goo came out of her mouth and spread all over the metal around her. Immediately the bonds fell apart, and she was free.

And madder than ever.

"I found it!" Wisteria crowed, running over and nearly tripping over her own feet.

"Just in time," Nico said. "She is looking like her wings were ruffled."

Indeed, the Queen was now head-butting her rock prison. And the rock was actually splitting.

That's what I call really being hard-headed.

To my surprise, Wisteria climbed the tree without awkwardly embarrassing herself. I kept my hands in the ground, willing more wood and flammable items to come forth. For extra measure, I used Jingo and a pea plant. With a deep breath, I angled the blow dart for 60 degrees, and quickly exhaled. The pod grew 100 times faster than usual with my powers, and little green beans pelted the Queen from the sky.

Wisteria struck the flint more successfully this time and lit a branch from the tree on fire. With a heave, she threw the wood into the stone pit Nico had made. At once, all the debris from the ground was ablaze. The Queen let out a mighty roar of anger. From her mouth, I heard a dry hissing that was unlike her usual raspy voice. And then, she was gone, turning into a pile of dust.

* * *

><p>For the next three hours, we did a multitude of things to bring back the garden. I used my powers to discover unusual holes in the earth, which housed hundreds of Myrmekes larvae. With a few selected vine pouches and Wisteria's remaining flint, we burned all the monsters away. Nico bound the unruly plants back with some strategically placed rocks, and Wisteria…well, she used her hands a little more than she did before. Which was saying something.<p>

And I was the most worn out one. Seriously, weeding a garden takes so much effort when you're pushing your powers only to get them sucked up by greedy plants. So I was drained, and on the verge of collapsing.

"Oi," Nico said irritably, shaking me. "Get up. Don't fall asleep here."

If I had the energy to say something back, I would have. As it was, I was on the ground, sweating like a pig, looking at the renewed garden which now sparkled with life. Colors that had been repressed were now growing quickly, and it all just looked like one big happy rainbow.

But I was not a happy rainbow.

I was tired.

Wisteria looked exhausted as well, even though all she did was run around looking for rocks the entire time. And maybe pulling out a bit of crabgrass.

Finally, Hades came over.

"Your time is up," he said dryly. "To my disappointment, you're still alive. The Myrmekes didn't provide to be too much trouble, I hope?"

It was clearly a rhetorical question.

Nico snorted and held out his hand. "Key. We did your dirty work. Now hand over the Skeleton Key. We've got a date to catch."

The trip around Beijing was starting tomorrow. If we didn't get back to the hotel in time, they were leaving without us. I checked my watch. If we were going to get a decent night's sleep, we would need to get back within the hour. I made my eyes urgent, hoping Nico would catch on.

He looked at me. "Digestive problems?"

I sighed. "Never mind."

Hades exhaled loudly. "Fine. Get your Key. Its underneath my throne, third cabinet, combination 591. I may not like the idea, but I always keep my promises. As much as I hate to admit it, you've done an admirable job." His eyes softened for a fraction of a second. "It's almost like Persephone came back."

I could see the tip of Nico's nose flushing red. "I hate it when you praise me. It makes me feel all gushy and queasy."

Hades frowned. "Who said I was praising you?"

Wisteria sniffed. "Exactly. He knows true star material when he sees it."

"I wasn't talking about you either."

She looked like she had just gotten pied.

I was about to laugh, then I realized that he was talking about me. My eyes got wide. Praise from the King of the Dead was kind of a big deal in my book.

"Uh, thank you," I stammered, doing an odd little half-bow in respect.

Hades smiled a little.

Wow. He was full of surprises.

"Take care of my son, May Wang. He is a hot headed idiot."

"I'm right here," Nico grumbled, trudging inside to grab the Skeleton Key.

"Um, I'm not sure I can, but I'll try my best," I offered.

Hades' face turned grim. "No, May Wang. You have to take care of him. I feel an ominous presence when I attempt to gauge his future. Keep him out of trouble, or else he may end up here out of his own free will."

Wisteria suddenly took a step and blocked my from Hades' view. I couldn't see her face, but her posture was strong.

"She already said she would do her best. Don't push her for obligations, or else Nico will simply be a burden to her," she announced.

He sneered. "You've got spunk."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I prefer to call it 'asserting my independence.'"

He drew himself up to his full height. To be honest, he was quite intimidating. "I would like to remind you who exactly you're talking to—"

"Hey pops, thanks for the key," yelled Nico, running toward us. He held something in his hands, which I could only assume to be the Skeleton Key.

"Pretentious child," huffed Hades, straightening his robes. "Now go away. You're done here."

"Yep. I'll see you in a few weeks," said Nico. He began dragging me and Wisteria towards Diffy Q again.

Hades looked confused.

"We've got to watch the games," he reminded. "Chariot racing through the Amazon?"

"Oh, right. Don't forget to get days off from camp."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You are such a helicopter parent."

* * *

><p>When we reached the surface, it was nearly midnight. The shopkeeper had locked up the store, so Nico had to drag us out through shadow travel. It was just as bad this time as it was the last time, so needless to say, I wasn't too happy with him. He replied with the characteristic: "Did you want to get out or not?"<p>

It was Wisteria's first time, so the experience was better when I saw her scared out of her wits when she came out of the ground.

We checked back into our rooms, and fell asleep quickly. I was too tired to make any comments about sharing the room with Nico (teenage hormones. He looked good any moment of the day, which was really quite unfair), and didn't even bother washing up. I hit the covers and was out like a light.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, Lars was glaring at me.<p>

I screamed. Nico, on the other bed, _way on the other side of the room_, groaned out a "do you ever stop screaming?"

"It's Lars!" I yelled, sitting up and quickly drawing the covers close to my chest. "Holy Hera! What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on things, obvs," he said, chewing on a Styrofoam coffee cup. Then he looked at Nico, then at me. His eyes grew mischievous. "Getting a little—"

"Oh shutup," I answered, totally failing at a better retort. "No really Lars—what brings you to Beijing at…8:00 am? Seriously, we just went through some crazy stuff—like I'm talking crazy—so this better be good."

"Well, how's this for good? Oh, and by good, I mean bad. Like, real bad. Like, badder than Ares on a bad hair day. So, another Hour has gone missing. Carpo, goddess of autumn."

Nico muttered a Greek curse under his breath. "That means only Thallo is left. And if she goes missing too, then everything will die. Demeter and Persephone can't keep up life for too long, maybe a few months at tops…you would think that the gods would protect the remaining Hours a little more carefully after the first incidence."

Lars sighed and finished eating the cup. "That's the thing, kid. We've protected them best we could, but man, somehow—we didn't even turn our backs, but they'd slipped under our barrier and took Carpo in the span of 2 seconds."

I was afraid to ask. "So, what happens now?"

Lars's face grew stony. "The gap between the first disappearance and this one was 5 days. Which means, you've got 5 days to get both Hours and find out what these guys are up to in the first place. And you know, we would help you but the gods like sending others to do their dirty work. Good news is: you've got the Key. That's important."

"Why?"

Nico gave me a look that said: "Good one, smart egg."

Lars finished what he was saying. "Well, we can't open their cages, but do you know what can open any lock? Hades's Skeleton Key. Nico grabbed that, so we're all good."

I rubbed my temples. "We're leaving today on our tour. Nico, start packing."

He started to say something before I glared at him.

He closed his mouth and began packing.

"Lars, are you coming with us?" I asked, climbing out of bed.

He shook his head and bleated, picking up a plastic bag off the floor to chew on. "Nah. I can't—got important satyr business to take care of. While you guys are out partying in Asia, I'm leading a little field trip to Olympus. No biggie."

"That's cool."

Lars snorted. "Please—I'm babysitting the Aphrodite kids. I just know midway through the field trip I'll suddenly notice I've got a lipstick mustache on my face. It's gunna happen, I know it." He stretched his limbs (I winced when I heard something crack) and yawned. "Well, that's the message. Oh, and here's one more thing for you guys: Chiron said the new girl might find it in handy. Couldn't send it through Iris Messaging, so I got to give it to you guys."

He passed me a thin, wooden box. I looked at it. "Well, this is an effective weapon."

Nico snorted from where he was packing instant noodles into our potato sacks. "It's _in_ the box."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for stating the obvious. I'll go send this to Wisteria, so make sure we have everything. If I find out that I'm missing something, I'll send you to meet your father. Earlier than expected."

I gave Lars a quick hug. "Stay safe on your trip. I'm worried about you…namely you chewing a hole through someone's pants or something."

Lars grumbled under my embrace. "Seriously, you eat someone's jeans _once_ and they hold it over your head for ages." Then, he smiled and hugged me back. "Stay safe too, May—you may not realize it, but a lot is riding on your shoulders."

Then, he took out a disk similar to the one he gave me, and threw it like a frisbee against the wall. It melded out and turned into a red door. "Portable Janus Portals," he drawled with a wink. "PJP: with some help from Athena and Hephaestus cabins, of course. See you guys later—and Nico, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He stepped into the swirling, migraine-inducing entryway and disappeared, the door closing and folding until there was nothing left.

So I stood there, somehow feeling a little bit of a loss, sad-ish feeling while holding a wooden box.

"You look really sad," murmured Nico. I was about to say something nice back to him, and then he followed with a: "Like those crying clown paintings."

"You know just what to say," I said sarcastically, grinning. I was getting a little worried…a sappy Nico was not a normal Nico. The normal Nico knew how to make unhappy situations a little lighter with a jibe in just the right direction.

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><p><strong>So there we are! To be honest, I know I'm updating REALLY slowly and I apologize for that; but there are school, social life, and after school activities I've got to get in check<strong>.

**But stay faithful! This will get finished someday!**

**R&R** **:)**


	16. Chapter 17

**...No comment on my late update.**

**Oh, and message for a person:**

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><p><em><span>Scarletfire02.<span>_**You did not anger me in _any way _throughout your review. I meant to send you a message, but you weren't able to get it, so...you are fine; and thank you for your last review (Chapter 16). It really meant a lot to me, and I just wanted to let you know that. Thank you for sticking with me, and don't feel bad. I wasn't even talking about you! Haha :)**

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><p><strong>As for the rest of my lovely readers, thank you again, so much for reviewing and showing so much interest in this. I have read all your reviews thoroughly, and changed things based on them, and I really take your opinions seriously. Thank you again. With no further ado, here we go!<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 17:<strong> In which we start our tour, and encounter Asian Ardy.

"May, Nico, and Wist…Wister…"

There was a pause. Then an attempt to try again.

"Wee-ster—"

"Wisteria! It's Wisteria! Seriously, I'm here, just start the dumb bus. It's cramped enough already."

The lady at the front of the bus who was calling attendance seemed unfazed by Wisteria's outburst and continued her role call. When she was done, she sat down professionally and motioned for the driver to start.

"See?" I said smugly. "She's got manners. You could take a few lessons."

Wisteria scowled. "If some people could read, this wouldn't be such a problem."

I raised an eyebrow, then pointed to a Chinese sign outside. "Then mind telling me what that says?"

She squinted hard, then let out a huff. "I get it, I get it. Don't need to rub it in…" with that, she got up and went to the lady at the front. From her posture and her awkward little bow at the end, I could tell that she was apologizing.

Nico whistled. "Wisteria? Being polite? Maybe we _are_ being a good influence after all."

Then she sat down and glared at us both. "Not a word to anyone about this, you hear? I value my reputation."

"Okay, maybe not."

It was fine at first, me and Nico chatting, Wisteria grumbling about how she had no leg room and how "If we were back in England, I would have an entire bus all to myself!" We were on our way to my Auntie's house (well, the Bird's Nest anyways, but close enough), taking the tour by bus.

The hotel host had laid the map of the schedule out for us. One day for a fun excursion near a shopping center for the tourists, a ride to the airport for those who had to leave early, and finally the Birds Nest. It would take us only three days to get there, so we weren't running short on time. I just hoped the long, probably epic battle at the end wouldn't deter us for two days.

Because you know, if it did, the world would fall into chaos and we would probably all die.

* * *

><p>The bus took an angry swerve to the left, and we all mushed into the windows. Then it righted itself again, and the driver added a long drawn out honk.<p>

Nico's eyes were wide, and he was clutching onto the armrests for dear life.

Wisteria's face was green. "Don't you guys have traffic laws?"

The vehicle took another hard turn, and barely avoided hitting a taxi car.

I laughed. "I forgot to tell you guys. In China…there are laws. People just refuse to follow them."

"There are no seatbelts," Nico whispered. "We're going to die. Hades, we're going to die, and we haven't even saved the Hours yet."

A bike randomly shot across the road, and passerby crossed in front of the moving bus without a second thought. The brakes screeched, and we face planted into the seats in front of us. Nico groaned.

"I can't take this."

I laughed. "Man up, weakling."

We finally got on the highway, where things were still crowded, but not as much as the small streets we were just on. In the bumping and swerving, my potato sack fell to the ground. As I picked it up, I remembered something.

"Wisteria? This is for you. Lars sent it." I opened my bag and passed her the long, wooden box.

The moment it touched her fingers, it shrunk into a little, dark oak jewelry box, no bigger than my fist. I looked at Nico, then looked around to make sure no one saw. Thankfully, the Mist was in full swing, so it didn't seem like anyone had noticed a box magically change shape.

Wisteria was looking at it, a puzzled expression on her face. "What is this?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. Open it. Lars said a weapon for you was in it."

"So, you want me to open it?" Wisteria asked.

Nico's eyes were sparkling. "What part of my last sentence did you not understand? Of course I want you to! And what about you, May? You do too, don't you?" I shrugged. There was something about mysterious boxes, I guess. It might explain why people liked Christmas so much. _What could be in the box, huh? A puppy? A scooter? Easy-bake ovens? Fifteen cents?_

So exciting.

Then, came the moment. We weren't attempting to pressure her or anything, but I did watch with really wide eyes as she took the object into her hands. Wisteria tried to open it, but she couldn't. Her knuckles were turning white with the effort, but the lid wouldn't budge. She checked all around it for a lock, a glue seal, anything—but it looked fine from all angles.

"Let me try," Nico offered. She passed the wooden box to him, and then he gave it his best shot. With a creak, it…

Stayed shut.

Epic fail, Nico, epic fail.

"What…is…with…this…stupid…box?" he grunted, still trying to pry it open. "Lars…that dumb satyr gave us a faulty weapon? Ugh."

"My turn," I said, and with a frustrated growl Nico gave it to me. I pressed my fingers against the wood and pulled as hard as I could. My two teammates were looking at me expectantly, as if a miracle would happen if I touched it.

Lemme tell you. It didn't.

Finally, after 20 minutes of huffing and puffing and sweaty hands and callouses all over, Wisteria voiced what we were all thinking. "It's not going to open."

"What is up with that?" Nico sighed, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Leave it to Lars to give us something that doesn't work."

Wisteria took the box back, and held it in her hands for a brief moment. Her eyes zoned out to the scenery outside, the cars, the smog, and the few trees. Even the bumps in the road couldn't distract her.

She was in one of her thinking modes again.

Finally, a look of understanding crossed her face, and she blinked.

"So?" Nico asked eagerly. "What did you realize?"

I leaned forward too, interested.

"I can't tell you," she answered bluntly, and then put the box into her purse pocket.

I blinked.

"What?"

"You _heard me_, peasant. It's not something I can tell you. You guys have to wait."

"Why?" Nico whined, giving her a puppy dog look. "We're on a same team now. Remember the bonding time we shared over the ant attack? We've finally accepted you, as well as your tacky amulet. That we gave you. But that's not the point. The point is, we're on a stuffy bus, no monsters are after us for the time being, so you should just spill the beans so we can use the information for future endeavors!"

"I didn't think you knew such a big word," she said under her breath. "And cut out that look, it's sickening. I'm not telling you. End of conversation."

I thought she was joking, but she wasn't teasing in the least. Nico tried to pry information out of her for the longest time, refusing to give up until she started giving him the cold shoulder. And then he turned to me, rolling his eyes. "She's not all that special…just because she figured out something we didn't, she thinks she's all that."

"Maybe she has a point," I said grudgingly. As little as I knew about Wisteria, she wasn't the type to withhold information. She was the type to rub it into someone's face, then laugh about their stupidity. Keeping quiet about it wasn't like her at all.

Nico's voice was incredulous. "What? You're getting on her side?"

"I'm not 'on her side,' I'm just saying that it's really not that important to know about the box right now. Like you said, we're not in any real danger right now. We just need to find the Hours, and then we should be good. A little tiny box isn't high on our priority list at the moment."

He threw his hands up in frustration. "Nico's always the bad guy, isn't he? Okay, you goodie two shoes, we'll leave it at that. But just watch: we'll be in some serious danger, and then the box will be the key to saving us all—and the world will end because we can't open it. Just you watch. It'll happen." He slouched into his chair and pouted angrily.

I patted his arm awkwardly. "There, there."

He gave me a suspicious look. "I don't want your sympathy."

"Be difficult, why don't you. Listen—we'll figure it out. Just not now, okay?"

It was like trying to appease a disgruntled child. Finally, Nico sighed and gave up. He turned to me, (totally unaware of how mildly attractive he was with the sunlight streaming behind him and stuff), and smiled. "Alright May. But I get your fortune cookie tonight."

I decided it was now or never, and broke the bad news. I grinned sheepishly, ready for the backlash.

"Uh…we don't have fortune cookies in China."

He looked like all his dreams had just been ruined.

I tried to make it better, and quickly said: "But we get fruit, and some weird soup stuff for dessert. So I'll give you my orange slices at dinner, how does that sound?"

Despite my efforts, he refused to talk to me again until we got off the bus.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so we first go to the hotel and check in. Later, we head towards the commerce center, alright with everyone?" Our tour guide was shouting in English in a Chinese accent through her giant megaphone. Waving her red flag up high, she led everyone to the surprisingly nice place we were staying at. As she began repeating the message in mandarin, I briefly wondered how the hotel felt to spend money for its customers to stay at a <em>different <em>hotel.

Weird how business minds work.

We decided that Wisteria and I were to share a room, and Nico was to share with himself. I figured it was a good enough deal.

Right as we were about to get our room keys, a figure snuck out of a loud crowd and began sneaking toward us, like he needed to ask us something really important.

He looked Asian, so I was getting ready to translate when he suddenly grabbed Nico's hand and began begging him in a hushed whisper. Fluent English was coming out. "Please, please…_please_ let me room with you. Seriously, I can't take my messed up family reunion anymore—they _will_ get drunk and force me into some arranged marriage—you have space for an extra person, right?"

Nico looked at us. Then looked back at the guy. Then looked at us again.

I was shaking my head, simply because we weren't really supposed to drag in normal humans into our affairs. At all.

Wisteria was giving him the evil eye.

Nico seemed to give it a split second decision, giving me a snarky grin before shaking the stranger's hand. "Hey man, I'm Nico. We would be _honored_ to bunk with you." I smacked my forehead in exasperation. Leave it to Nico to make friends just to smite us. I could only bet his inner thoughts followed the logic of: May_ says no? That gives me a reason to do something unpredictable and unreasonable!_ He was totally disregarding the fact that we were demigods on a _slightly _important mission to save the earth from utter destruction.

The worst part was: he kept going. "And it's cool that you speak English. What part of America do you come from? We're from New York."

I groaned. Did that kid ever know when to shut up? "Too much info, Nico..."

"You know what you're really good at, May? Being a party pooper. So, what's your name, man?"

The teenager smiled at us, extending a hand for each of us to shake. Nico and I shook it firmly (I didn't want to be rude), while Wisteria just looked at his hand with mild distaste. Finally, she gave a weak little shake and wiped her hands off on her shirt. He didn't look offended though, and went right on talking.

"I'm Ardy," he said brightly, sticking his hands into his short pockets. "I'm just here for vacationing, with my lovely family of nine, like we do every year. We're from Minnesota, and trust me: it's pretty, but there's no action whatsoever. China is cool and all, but quite frankly, I hate the fact that we have no AC. It's a weird relationship."

Nico was nodding understandingly. "Dude. I got your back. We're, uh…traveling. Transfer students. You know, that kind of stuff. This is May, this is Wisteria. Nice to meet you."

"Hey," Ardy said, saluting us both. He and Nico looked like they would get on pretty good terms, so I left them alone. Wisteria on the other hand, kept sneaking furtive glances at them.

I couldn't take it anymore. "What is with you? You have a crush on him or something?"

Wisteria scowled. "I have higher tastes. Penny pinchers are _not_ my thing. But something is fishy about this kid, lemme tell you. And it's not just because we're in some dingy fish market."

"…We're not even near a fish market. We're in a _hotel_, Wisteria. The most I can smell is heavily perfumed air and cigarettes. Lay back. Once you found out you were the goddess of wisdom's daughter, you got more uptight than you were originally."

"Why thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't intended to be one…" I mumbled.

"Hurry now, hurry—we've got to see the market," our guide called, swinging her flag around. Together, the four of us went up the elevator with our tour group. It was pretty cramped. The only loud ruckus was coming from Nico and Ardy, who were engaged in a heated debate about Mythomagic stuff.

Nerds.

Finally, the doors opened and everyone filed out, armed with room cards. Wisteria and I made it to our room, and the two boys went right across the hall. "Scream if you need help," Nico said loudly, sliding his card into the slot. The door flashed green and unlocked.

"Right back at you," I smirked, passing the card key over to Wisteria so that she could open the door. I had some flames to dish out. "You probably have more hope than us—since your screams are high pitched enough to shatter plexi-glass."

He put on his mildly offended face. "Why May. I'm wounded."

Ardy nodded, fake sympathy dripping from his face. "Why would you want to hurt such a darling little boy?"

Then the two monsters burst out into chuckles and snorts. Well, boys would be boys. So I slammed my door in front of their faces.

* * *

><p>The market place was cool enough.<p>

Cue the sarcastic music right here!

No.

It was awful.

Really—Nico almost got mugged three times. You think he would have learned the first two times, right? Thankfully, he was saved each time by Wisteria (surprising, I know) as she whipped out her purse and slammed it against the pickpockets' hands.

And then, let's not mention how overpriced it was. I began calculating things in terms of dollars, and the numbers were atrocious. $15 for this headband! $6 for this rare piece of fruit that you can get in other places for $3 a pound!

The funny thing was, people were actually buying this stuff. Flashing their money around, paying for things they thought were authentic tourist items—it was practically a glowing neon sign that said: "I AM A FOREIGNER AND EASY TO DECEIVE! COME DECEIVE ME!"

Nico was no exception. Once he started looking at rip-off versions of Mythomagic cards and a samurai sword, I knew we were done for. Sure enough, the vendors began flocking to us, shouting, attempting to get us to buy their items.

I scowled as I was jostled unmercifully. "What did I tell you about buying things in China, Nico?"

He looked mildly sorry. "That the only thing I can look at, touch, or show interest in is cheap food…"

"That's right. And did you follow May's words of wisdom?"

"No…"

"So what did we learn?" I hissed, wincing as some fat guy with a bad sunburn stepped on my toes.

"That we should listen to May's words of wisdom or we will get attacked by a mob…"

"Good. I'm glad we had this talk."

Ardy on the other hand, was extremely good at bargaining and evading large mobs of sellers. By the end of the shopping experience, he had gotten several necklaces, a bag, a wooden flute, and some pineapples: all for under $20.

I was mildly impressed.

We drove back to the hotel, depleted of all energy, my voice hoarse from yelling at Nico, Wisteria's purse slightly lumpier after hitting so many people with it. The only one that looked ok was Ardy, who came out of the whole experience with a bag full of goodies for his fellow Minnesotans.

"Hey," Nico mumbled, barely keeping awake on the ride back.

"What?" I whispered, eyelids getting ready to shut. The bumping of the bus was relatively soothing now, and I was about to fall asleep. The tour guide promised to wake us up when we arrived, so I felt comfortable getting ready to doze off.

"There's a pool outside our hotel," he continued, voice soft and drowsy with sleep. "And it's really hot outside…let's swim tomorrow, okay?"

"Mhm," I mumbled, not really caring anymore. "We'll just buy some swimsuits at the store…they won't oppose being paid with drachamas, right? Gold is good?"

Wisteria snorted. "Gold is good anywhere." But her voice had lost its edge too. We were all dead tired. Ardy was already snoring.

So I gave in. Bed time for May.

Yep. Bed time for May. Out of the fire, and into the blazing inferno of a bonfire.

Gotta love those demigod foretelling dreams.

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><p><strong>SORRY SORRY SORRRYYYYYYYY I know it's been a long time, and I apologize. But I got off my lazy bum and did this for you guys. And hopefully...it was okay.<strong>

**Apologies are done. Read and review! PM me with any questions or suggestions for this. **

**Thanks for sticking around :)**


	17. Chapter 18

**The reason I haven't gotten this up is because I've gotten lazy because I know where this is supposed to go, but putting the words on the page takes effort. :/**

**I am a sloth. I'm sorry.  
><strong>

**I own everyone...except for Rick's characters.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 18:<strong> In which we find out that appearances really can be deceiving.

I immediately knew I was in another dream. It wasn't hard really—suddenly you're in bed, and then you're in your Auntie's attic. Kazaam! And it was the same as I last saw it: dark, creepy, and smelling of old cats and cabbage.

Someone had turned on a flashlight or something, because there were shadows on the walls. I tried not to breathe too loudly and inched around the corner, following the murmuring voices. Three figures were huddled around the light source—I assumed them to be Creepers 1 through 3, all bulky and one extremely idiotic, apparently.

When we finally got to Auntie's house, he would be the first to receive a major smack-down.

"We only need one more," Creeper 1 laughed in excitement. "But the Olympians have caught on to us—"

"You think after the first disappearance they were just going to lax security?" sneered Creeper 3.

"No one asked _you_," Creeper 1 hissed in reply. "What matters is there's still one Hour left. Thallo is being quite resistant…with her sisters gone, suspicion is everywhere on Mount Olympus. The distrust, the chaos, the paranoia…it's beautiful. Well, that's what we came to do here, right?"

There was a banging in one of the suitcases, along with some muffled yelling.

Creeper 1 chuckled. "Ah, the Hours are getting restless. Well, I wouldn't blame them—restricted by a cage, stuck in a place on the other side of the ocean from their home, not to mention; able to know our plan, but powerless to stop it. Guilt is such a lovely feeling."

"I know boss," laughed Creeper 2. "We'll finally get to take over the mortal world! Those humans won't stand a chance when their food source is cut off!"

Creeper 1 sighed. "Please shut up. Your voice is making my head ache. Shoo."

I mentally cursed. Why hadn't I dreamt up the Skeleton Key with me? Then I could just, you know, rush in and rescue the 2 goddesses, and everything would be okay. I obviously had my work cut out for me. The worst thing was: no one even knew who these three people were. Were they really hiding in my Auntie's attic? Or were they like me—manifestations of simply a dream somewhere else?

My head hurt.

And then it became more than a normal hurt; a burning, rushing, dizzying feeling that had me clutching my skull and biting my lip.

I had to find out more without being discovered. If what the Creepers had said was true, and Olympus was gearing up for more security, that was good—but something told me that these guys would stop at nothing to get Thallo where Carpo and Auxo were. They had obviously upped the attic security too. Even then, I could still feel my consciousness trying hard against the rush that was trying to separate me from the space.

I was being dragged harder.

_Hold on_, I told myself. And then; _doofuses over there, keep talking so I can eavesdrop_.

Creeper 3 shifted in his spot. "We need that Hour fast."

Creeper 1 hit the wall angrily. "You think I don't know that? After what Zeus did to our parents, I'm just happy to pay the debt in full. The power of the seasons, when put together…" he laughed. "What monstrous power it is indeed…nature's reversal at its finest. And then we can finally leave this accursed—"

Then he stopped and paused. His two followers leaned closer. "What—"

"Shhh," he hissed. "Shut up! We're being watched by that demigod again. She…"

He sniffed the air.

Oh.

I was done for.

The Creepers got up from their spots and began prowling the area.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up," I muttered under my breath. "Hurry, hurry, hurry…"

I closed my eyes tight and opened them.

Nope. Still in the attic.

The shadows were coming closer.

I scooted into a corner and hid behind a box as best as I could. It was uncomfortable and I barely fit; but it was the only choice I had for the moment. I crossed my fingers and mentally promised to treat Wisteria and Nico better if I ever left the attic with my consciousness still intact.

A dark figure loomed, casting a shadow over my hiding spot. It was the figure of a tall, bulky man.

But wait, was it?

Yes, it was—

No, it was something else…

I didn't know if it was the light that was flickering mysteriously that caused me to question my sight, but it kept happening—it looked like a human, but then the shadow would change for the slightest moment into something more slender, sleek, and…

…Immortal.

"I found you," he hissed. From his voice, I could tell it was Creeper 1, the ringleader of the group.

This was not good.

I pinched myself in a hurry. "Wake up wake up wake up…"

"You think," he roared, "That you can just barge in here and make fools out of us? Leaking even a _hint_ in this place will leave me no choice but to rip off your limbs and eat them for a snack." He paused, and then let out a low hiss. "Well, to ensure that that never happens…I'll take the extreme pleasure of just devouring your mind here."

Get out get out get out—I had never wanted to wake up more badly. This was more than a nightmare or the typical demigod dream—I was sure that when I woke up, I would be drenched in sweat and breathing a mile a minute.

If I_ ever_ woke up.

A hand was reaching down to grab me. I dodged it and I pushed it away with all my might, fingers feeling scales instead of skin, clenching my eyes tight and feverishly wishing that all of this was over.

And then it was.

I woke up, breathing hard like I knew I would, looking around, suddenly very grateful to see Wisteria's sleeping figure. The amulet we gave her was still tied snugly around her neck, and she was mumbling nonsense about a new invention she would like to try, which was totally Athena. And then about how much more famous she would be after it was accepted by the demigod public. I let out a small laugh. _That_ was totally Wisteria.

I glanced at the clock. It was near three in the morning. I knew I would need my sleep for the journey ahead, so I buried my face in my pillow and tried to fall into dreamland again. But I couldn't help thinking about the three figures I had seen, wondering who they were and why I felt an ancient chill when I was near them.

* * *

><p>"May. Get up. Argh, you lazy potato, wake up, wake up! We're supposed to go swimming!" I rubbed my eyes and yawned, sitting up and letting the blood rush to my head.<p>

Nico was watching me intently, face too close for comfort.

I groaned, grabbing the nearest pillow and hid my face from view. "Don't look," I muttered, still not fully awake. "My morning face isn't great. Who let you in?"

"Wisteria."

I glanced out of the corner of my eye. She was sitting on a chair, sipping out of a tea cup. "Why did you do that?" I asked. "Our privacy? Hello? Being trampled on by Nico?"

"Please May. It's 9:30 already. And nothing wrong for two commoners to see each other on their basest of levels, when their faces are covered with impurities and are just fully awakened."

"At least I don't talk in my sleep," I retorted, shoving the pillow in Nico's face.

"Why did you throw it at me?" he whined.

"Because if I threw it at Wisteria she'd throw her tea at me. Now get out."

"I do not talk in my sleep!" Wisteria yelled indignantly. "That's unladylike."

I crawled out of bed, ignoring her retorts and picking out my clothes for the day.

"But I wanna swim," Nico grumbled.

"Take Arty," I scowled. I was not a morning person. "Now leave. I have to change."

He pursed his lips. "Fine. Eat breakfast, wait half an hour, then meet us at the pool. I'm outta here—Ardy's _way_ cooler than you'll ever be."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say. I'll just have you know that the only reason I'm late in waking up was because _I_ had another dream—"

And suddenly the mood was not so cheerful anymore.

Wisteria set her tea down. "Dream of what? Dreams aren't so important, they're just manifestations of the day's events in an attempt for your mind to recollect and store the moments for memories."

Nico sat down on the bed. "That's the _human_ understanding of it. We've got it harder."

Nico explained to her the importance of demigod dreams, and Wisteria's eyes kept growing wider and wider with each passing word until she was practically leaning out of her seat. "What did you dream of May?" she whispered, now in full anticipation.

"Whatever it is," said Nico, "I doubt its good news."

How was it that Nico was always right about this kind of stuff? He was more than right, he was on the dot—it was worse than it had seemed when I was actually in the attic. Somehow it sounded much more scary and dangerous. I repeated the dream sequence, about their plans for Thallo and the constraints of Auxo and Carpo in the attic trunks. "And the worst thing is: they're planning to get Thallo real soon. We have to hurry to Auntie's house—they're trying to use the Hours' combined power for something real nasty. To escape from something or other. And I don't even know who or what they are—they look like guys but when I touched one of them by accident, the skin was all scaly and gross," I finished. "Any ideas on their identities?"

"Well," muttered Nico. "It could be Geryon. The giant, 3 bodied brothers. Well, or just an ugly giant with 3 bodies. He got slaughtered by Hercules though…I don't know why he would want to escape something. He's not stuck anywhere."

"Maybe," I mused. "I'm not real good with Greek monster's names and such. We should probably ask Wisteria for this. Got anything?"

"Not at the moment," she mumbled, apparently in deep thought. "Go get breakfast May. I'll be thinking about this for a while."

* * *

><p>Breakfast was simple. A lot of the other tourists had apparently gotten up late so the dining place was crowded. I piled some fruit and bread on my plate, grabbed a glass of OJ and went to sit down. I chewed on my food thoughtfully—mentally sacrificing some for the gods and goddesses, mostly wondering what in the world we were going to do next. Because honestly, I had no idea—I was just going with the flow at the moment, which was probably not a very choice on my part.<p>

We were supposed to head out to the airport next for those that needed to leave early. It wasn't much sightseeing; but we would have to deal with it for the time being. I was going to follow Nico's advice for once and _not _go swimming right after I ate. Dying because I drowned would be a horrible way to end my life.

I finished my breakfast and went outside, and saw my friends having all sorts of water fun in the pool. "Hey," I said brightly.

Nico waved a hand over. "Sit down and talk with us!"

I made the mistake of sitting near the edge and was immediately splashed, then dragged in with all my clothes on.

I punched Nico and Ardy several times, and then pulled myself out of the water like a wet, soggy, and disgruntled cat. Which I was.

"Not cool," I grumbled.

Everyone laughed, except Wisteria who held her perpetually calm and arrogant face that I had long gotten used to.

Ardy pretended to choke Nico, and he replied by over exaggerating his choking noises, eyes rolling in the back of his head, thrashing around like a fish.

"You'd better watch out, Nico," I joked. "Ardy's taking revenge for me."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Puh-lease. Me and Ardy are besties, and I doubt this kid could hurt any of us."

I let out a loud guffaw. That was so true—Ardy's face was too innocent to take seriously.

And then suddenly, it wasn't funny anymore.

Ardy's hands tightened around Nico's throat, who laughed worriedly—"Man, loosen your grip! I don't wanna die—"

Any further words were cut off as he choked for breath. Ardy's fingers were really wrapped around Nico's throat, digging hard into his windpipe.

Wisteria, in a moment of pure heroism, tried to push the Asian boy off. She failr=ed the first time but quickly learned from her mistake. She slugged him in the face in retaliation, fist held the way real fighters do it. The thwak was loud and satisfying, and the boy let go, purple blossoming on his cheek. His eyes weren't warm anymore.

Without a care in the world, he spit in the pool. It was red.

Wisteria shook out her hand, wincing slightly before yelling hysterically. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

People were looking now.

I glared too. "Seriously Ardy! What was that? Playing like that is going too far!"

The boy shrugged. "I was only trying to kill him."

Now _I_ wanted to give him a matching purple bruise on the other side of his face.

The Mist must have been quite strong for even _us_ not to notice something that prominent. It cleared, and I could see him for what he really was.

Ardy's family appeared out of nowhere, drifting like lost ghosts onto the deck, absentmindedly wading into the pool where he was. Their bodies turned scaly and they elongated, wrapping around one another. They grew taller and taller, casting a dark shadow and blocking the sun from sight. I could only stand there stupidly like a deer in the headlights, somehow unable to comprehend what I was really seeing—a transformation of huge proportions. Who we once knew as Ardy kept changing until a many-headed dragon was splashing in the hotel pool in all its purple glory.

Fish fins were on his head, eyes the dark brown of Ardy's eyes. The rest of the civilians were screaming and running out of the pool, obviously intimidated by whatever they saw; which was a good thing, considering if they stayed they were fish food.

We, unfortunately, didn't have an option whether to leave or stay. It was kind of a demigod thing: you're obligated to save the civilians and put your young life on the line, without any chances of future recognition.

"_Hello_," Ardy hissed, getting my attention as he began dragging a claw through the air. "_Nice to eat you—I mean, meet you, in my true form._"

Wisteria backed up against the pool wall, and Nico looked up at the monster, face scrunched in fury and hurt.

And then it really hit me.

Ardy…wasn't a human. This was him, a deceitful, information gathering, hiding-under-your-nose monster. The worst kind.

I couldn't believe it. We had trusted Ardy, spent an entire day of fun together—and despite that first bad feeling I had gotten from him, I wasn't expecting anything like _that_.

We had been betrayed.

Ardy thrashed his spiked tail, destroying the cement pool like it was made of Styrofoam. The moment he let out a breath, the plants nearby wilted and dripped to the floor as if they had been hit by acid, the air now a cloudy green. He cracked his limbs, his many heads darting around in eye-confusing formations, and let out a low, dragon-like snarl. "_Pleased to meet your acquaintance, demigods. I've been informed that I have to eliminate you—in other words, erase your presence from this world, as you all are becoming bothers. You don't know how much self-restraint it took not to chew you up on the spot. Staying with you was like having snacks in front of my face but unable to eat them—you should understand quite well what that feels like."_

He breathed once more and we scrambled to get out of the way, me scraping my knee on the pool deck in the process. I felt a little pain, but that was nothing. I had more important things to consider.

Nico was ready to go, his obsidian knife drawn and ready, hands ready to move the earth at will. I patted my pockets for Jingo and uncapped the Chap Stick, bringing the blowdart to my lips, reaching for seeds. From the corner of my eye, Wisteria looked helpless but I knew she was far from it. There was no need to worry about her taking care of herself.

The beast roared with laughter, obviously not taking any of us seriously.

"_I see you are ready to 'slay me,' but I warn you; only one has done it before. And I am not too keen on letting it happen again." _Now-monstrous Ardy let out a dark smile, showing all his fangs, venom dripping from the incisors.

"_I'm the Hydra. Come at me, demigods—and we'll see how long you last."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>R&amp;R! Please and thank you :)<strong>  
><em>

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